Up here in Scotland we have some beautiful natural stone. Most of it huge and attached to a mountain but my garden has its own fair share.

Granite is plentiful in many areas. As such it is used a lot in buildings as it is one of the hardest stones known to man. And woman who digs it out of her garden!

A cairn is often used to mark the tops of mountains – people who reach the summit can add a stone. They are also used to mark paths keeping travellers safely away from the dangers of the edges. The lasting durability of the stone cairn is a symbol to those that follow behind.

So the idea of building a cairn in the garden was born.and it will represent those 62,709 people who signed Pat’s Petition before it closed.

I laid the first stone and it will be added to as and when weather, time and availability of gathered stones allow.

I don’t think I can count 62,709 but will use one stone per 100 signatures. The strength and hardness of these stones represent us all – disabled people, carers and their families.

PP closed 4 months ago but we are still inundated with requests from people wanting to add their support. To this end a space has been created here. New stones will continue to be added to the cairn as these numbers increase.

There are still some important petitions open on the government website.

WowPetition  sign here   – further details of the campaign group here

Stop the Abolition of Disability Living Allowance for Personal Independence Payments  – sign here

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The government is bringing in so many cuts that a Cumulative Impact Assessment is far too difficult

April Fool – it’s actually really very simple 

At last more and more people are waking up to the realisation of the horrors lying in wait for disabled people, their carers and families. At last there are debates in Parliament with dozens of MPs relating true stories from their constituents. They all tell the same story. How disabled people, those with serious illness, and carers are being hit the hardest.

And this is just the end of the beginning.

Six more drastic cuts come on line today.

It is the perfect storm

That’s why I’m so proud of Pat’s Petition and what we achieved together.Pat’s Petition asked the government to “stop and look at the way all these changes would add up and impact on the lives of disabled people and their carers.” 62,709 people signed in the year that was open to us.

But the government refused. They say it is too difficult. You can read their response on Pat’s Petition here . They are conducting one enormous social experiment and leaving it for history to tell them what they did to us.

How can they get away with this?

Well – they can’t get away with it. We won’t let them. And neither will you.

The government are pretending that it is amazingly complicated when we are asking for something that is really simple. We are asking for an assessment of the impact on individual disabled people. There is no reason why they can’t run example cases through all the benefit changes one by one and show us, and the voters, exactly what they are doing to individual disabled people.

Scope/Demos  have released research on these changes. And it isn’t as impossibly difficult as the government maintain.

We aren’t going anywhere until the government face up to their responsibilities and produce a projection of what their policies are, and will be doing, to disabled people and their carers.

Pat’s team is working with many other campaign groups and we are meeting with government statisticians to discuss how they can carry out a Cumulative Impact Assessment.

The WOW petition is still active and you can sign that here. Their number of supporters is growing daily. Please share this petition as wide as possible asking others to sign and share too.  You will note they have had a preliminary response in which again the government states -

“Cumulative impact analysis is not being withheld – it is very difficult to do accurately and external organisations have not produced this either.”

This is NOT acceptable.

We still receive many emails and requests from people wanting to support this campaign. To this end a space has been created here to add your support, comments can be added too.

This Cumulative Impact Assessment

is going to happen

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When Labour brought in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) they promised disabled people a safe and secure place from which to try and get work how ever difficult this might be to achieve. Sanctions and compulsion have destroyed this promise and left disabled people in a stressful and threatening environment. Stress usually makes disability harder to handle. These threats should be removed from the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG).

The introduction of the concept of workfare in to the work program is a massive change in the philosophy of the welfare state. The concept is being fought hard through the courts and despite the recent court decision on the Poundland Case the government are determined to press ahead. Now it seems that Labour may be supporting them in this.

The concept of sanctions and workfare are particularly terrifying for disabled people who may always be uncertain about what they can do. These forced and sanctioned activities have made the WRAG a feared and threatening place. Sanctions and compulsion are completely inappropriate when people have disability. Anything disabled people fail to do may always be due to their disability. The license to remove benefits given to an advisor who has never walked in their shoes is cruel.

In fact the statistics now show that not many disabled people are actually getting in to work. But what is certain is that after twelve months in the WRAG they will be means tested and 40% will lose ESA altogether.

Surely even in these dark times extending workfare to people with disability is several steps too far.

Labour promised disabled people a safe and secure environment to look for work. It is time for second thoughts and time to lift this coercion on disabled people in the WRAG.

Thank you to all of you who sent messages of support which we handed on to Liam.

The meeting was very successful. Liam is determined that he will give us an Opposition Day Debate as soon as he can calling for a Cumulative Impact Assessment – if possible before the budget.

We are all aware how thick and fast the cuts are raining down and that so many more cuts are due to be implemented in April.

So this is a matter of urgency and we have to be prepared to move on this as soon as we get the week’s notice.

This will take us all standing together.

More details soon.

VALUES INTO ACTION SCOTLAND

Values Into Action Scotland believes that people with learning difficulties and individuals on the autistic spectrum should have the opportunity to have paid employment.

We understand that, for many, good quality support is needed to help them achieve this. People with learning difficulties and individuals on the autistic spectrum who have enjoyed a successful working life have told us that the support that works for them is:-

* Good quality benefits advice

* Help to think about and plan out what an ideal job might look like

* Job finding support

* Help to talk to employers

* Support on/ off the job

* A career for life (with planning and support to achieve this)

This process is often referred to as Supported Employment.

Currently there is no UK wide programme that offers this type and level of support. Instead, there is growing concern that many people with legitimate significant support needs who undergo the Work Capability Assessment are being told that:-

* They are ineligible for Employment Support Allowance and are transferred onto time limited Job Seekers Allowance.

* They are ineligible to be placed in the Employment Support Allowance Support Group. Instead they find themselves in the Employment Support Allowance Work Related Activity Group.

From either of these two scenarios, people are often then placed onto the Work Programme. Following investigation, Panorama recently aired a programme exposing the following:-

* Work Programme providers are only helping a very small fraction of disabled people into work.

* They are failing to refer people to sub-contractor charities who could potentially offer better supports.

* The level of service some disabled people are receiving is less than for other people on the Work Programme. Face to face contact is, in many cases, being replaced with telephone contact. The programme referred to this process as ‘parking’.

* A Work Programme provider can legitimately claim £14,000 if a disabled person finds and sustains a job beyond three months.

In summary

* The Work Programme is failing deliver for disabled people.

* A more comprehensive person centred approach is required to help people to overcome the multiple barriers they face.

* Only 1/5 of disabled people have found jobs via the Work Programme.

* The current Work Programme is clearly not fit for purpose and requires urgent review.

* There is research evidence available to demonstrate that the supported employment approach costs on average £7,500 per year and can demonstrate paid employment outcomes for the majority of people supported. Adopting this approach across the UK, would therefore save money, deliver better outcomes and provide the holistic, person centred supports that many people need to achieve success.

Change in Assessment Criteria:

In December 2012 the UK Government announced an unexpected change in the PIP Assessment criteria. This change reduces the distance someone can walk (safely) before qualifying for the Enhanced Mobility element of PIP from 50 metres to 20 metres (the Enhanced Mobility element of PIP is equivalent to the Higher Rate Mobility Component of DLA).

The change has contributed to a substantial increase in the numbers expected not to qualify for the Enhanced Mobility element of PIP – up from 250,000 to 428,000 (a 70% increase).

Using the DWP’s own UK-wide projections of expected “winners” and “losers” arising from the replacement of DLA by PIP Inclusion Scotland have now calculated the equivalent figures for Scotland. These are set out below.

One piece of good news is that the majority of disabled people on life-time or long term awards of DLA will not now be re-assessed for PIP until after October 2015. However the following groups will be assessed before then -

* disabled people making new claims

* people currently in receipt of DLA whose awards end before Oct. 2015

* people whose condition/level of impairment changes before then to a level where it amounts to a change of circumstances requiring reassessment.

Mobility Component:

Using DWP projections, by 2018, Inclusion Scotland estimates that over 80,000 working age disabled people in Scotland will lose either some or all of the mobility allowance that they would otherwise have been entitled to:

* 47,000 will lose higher/enhanced rate mobility allowance. The subsequent loss in income to disabled people in Scotland will be at least £135 million a year by 2018.

* 34,100 will lose standard rate mobility allowance. The subsequent loss in income to disabled people in Scotland will be at least £37 million a year by 2018.

As one in three current Higher Rate DLA Mobility component recipients currently use their benefit to lease Motability vehicles as many as 16,000 disabled people in Scotland may also lose their Motability cars and scooters.

Care component: In addition because of the introduction of PIP -

* 30,250 fewer disabled people in Scotland will receive Standard Daily Living (PIP)/Middle Rate Care(DLA). The subsequent loss in income to disabled people in Scotland will be at least £83.4 million p.a. by 2018

* 74,000 disabled people in Scotland who would otherwise have been entitled to Lower Rate Care (DLA) will no longer receive it because it will no longer exist. The subsequent loss in income to disabled people in Scotland will be at least £80.8 million a year by 2018

* Conversely an additional 15,500 more disabled people will qualify for the Enhanced Daily Living Element of PIP than would have qualified for the old Higher Rate Care of DLA. The subsequent increase in income available to disabled people will be approx. £64million a year by 2018.

However overall nearly 90,000 fewer disabled people in Scotland will qualify for assistance with their care needs/daily living costs than would otherwise have been entitled to under current DLA entitlement rules.

Total Losses: Ignoring attendant losses of Income Support premiums, Housing Benefit disregards, carers allowance, etc. the total loss in the income of Scots disabled people which will arise from the change from DLA to PIP will therefore be approx. £272 million per annum by 2018 i.e. the overall total in lost income (£336.2 million) minus the increase in income (£64 million)

Sources:

1. Personal Independence Payment: Reassessment and Impacts, DWP, Dec. 2012 http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-reassessments-and-impacts.pdf  and

2. Emergency Stop: The hidden economic and social cost of welfare reform, We are Spartacus, January 2013 http://wearespartacus.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/01/Emergency-Stop-final.pdf

3. DWP Tabulation Tool (http://83.244.183.180/100pc/dla/tabtool_dla.html  ) used to estimate the numbers of disabled people in Scotland likely to be affected by the introduction of PIP as a proportion of estimated losers at a UK level. Feb 2012 DLA Caseload used as a baseline.

For more information contact:

info@inclusionscotland.org

The ideology of cuts affecting the most vulnerable people in our society is totally out of character for a nation that traditionally prides itself on bringing support to those in crisis. Over the years, the UK has led the way in terms of people and organisations who have gone way beyond the call of duty in terms of supporting others and treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve. This is a country that after years of struggle, made health, education and general wellbeing a basic human right.

This coalition government has taken the decision to fly in the face of these hard fought traditions and has instead, become hell bent on passing the responsibility and burden of the national debt onto those who can least afford it. As a result of this policy, we now see people struggling to make ends meet, forced into the ever-willing arms of  payday loan companies who, on the face of it appear to be offering help and financial security. The reality is that they push people into further poverty and desperation.

The introduction of the benefit freeze and the accompanying diatribes spewed by government ministers was designed to set a trap for the government’s opponents. In the end, it only served to further highlight their total lack of understanding or empathy, never mind respect for the British people. The government made it abundantly clear that they were more than happy for those on low incomes to be used as political footballs, in order to achieve nothing less than petty, childish point-scoring.

As a trade unionist I didn’t join the movement in order to feather my own nest, or jump on a gravy train. I took the decision to become active because I wanted to protect workers who were unable to speak up and defend themselves. I wanted to represent my fellow workmates in pursuit of a better, fairer workplace and improved living standards. Whilst the cuts have had no direct effect on me thus far, I believe it is my duty to speak up for those who in many cases are unable to speak for themselves. A question I often pose when taking part in public debates is “if not us who?” Clearly there are many people in our country who feel as I do. It has been both heartening and encouraging to see communities and organisations informing the wider public about the punitive measures this government is pursuing and it has been an indicator of the growing resistance to see people who have never been involved in demonstrations or disputes, coming together to say “no” to these attacks.

Right-minded people are becoming increasingly and rightfully disgusted at the amount of taxpayers’ money being spent on government ‘initiatives’ run by companies like A4E and the disgusting practices used by ATOS. We have seen certain sections of the media finally waking up, writing columns, articles and even producing documentaries highlighting how those with disabilities are being abused as a result of government policy. Politicians of every shade ought to be ashamed that they have allowed and in many cases, encouraged this situation to develop. It is both a scandal and a national disgrace.

When elections take place, we should remind constituents of the failure of politicians to protect our citizens. My strong belief is that if we want credible change, we simply have to come together. Communities, Trade Unions and all the different campaign groups need to get organised and demand real change. Not a quick-fix change that papers over the cracks and protects the status quo; not a change that says “our cuts are better than yours”, but change that leads to politicians being judged on how they treat people. We need a society which demands politicians reconnect with their constituents and don’t simply follow the party line. How can an MP vote in favour of a bedroom tax without actually knowing what he or she voted for?

2013 should be the year we finally get off our knees. I feel that this year will bring people from all walks of life out on to the streets to protest, but we have to have a clear understanding of what we want to replace the current system with. In 1945, when the country was truly broke, we decided that we would plan for peace in the same way we planned for war. We decided that we would build and invest money in order to tackle the ‘five evils’, with eradicating poverty at the centre. That society drew up a blueprint of free education, free health, social housing and full employment. Every single politician signed up to it. Sadly, the only blueprint in evidence today is one designed to share the country’s wealth among the few, rather than the many. Surely a system that supports its vulnerable and celebrates its workers is one we all deserve to be part of. Surely a society without barriers and limited aspirations is one worth fighting for.

To all at Pat’s Petition

Several years ago, our groups took our concerns over welfare reform to our Local Implementation Team meeting. Our main worry was that the move to support in primary care implied that we would no longer receive support for claims for disability benefits through letters from psychiatrists and care coordinators. At the time, this felt disastrous, and we anticipated a local solution. We were told to take up our worries directly with the DWP.

Since then, we have become increasingly alarmed by the redesign of the NHS, welfare reform, slashes to local authority budgets, loss of legal aid, and other changes, all at the same time as unprecedented economic austerity which has had an impact on local voluntary sector services. This is all too much at the same time, and is surely a disaster waiting to happen.

We have been in the position of relying on this support at times of need. The social fund has been a lifesaver. It has given us hope that someone understood that one day our lives would turn round and we would repay into a system which supports the vulnerable. It also offered us the security of knowing that at the very least, emergency expenses on necessities would be covered so that we should have no worries about being able to feed our families. But even this last safety net has now been destroyed.

But can Labour turn this mess around? We urge you to ask Liam Byrne MP what Labour will do to ensure that people who need support are offered hope, choice and opportunities to live a valued life in their communities.

We hope he will agree that a Cumulative Impact Assessment is essential and that he will push the current government to start one immediately. If Baroness Hollis can start one ‘over a weekend with wet towels and half a bottle of gin’ then I am sure the Government with its resources can complete something more substantial.

Good luck Pat, and thank you for taking our concerns with you.

St Helens Mental Health Forum

St Helens Mental Health Carers groups

5 February 2013

Early  Wednesday afternoon Feb 6th, will see 5 of us meeting with Liam Byrne in London. 4 of us from PP with the 5th member from VIA Scotland – she will ensure Pat arrives safely and in a timely manner.

We are backed by others who can’t make the journey, and our memories of our friend who died just as we reached the petition end.

Can we ask you to pledge your tweets tomorrow to this meeting. Hashtag  #TeamPP , especially from 2pm onwards when the meeting starts.

This is to represent not just those attending this meeting,

but each and every supporter/signature/group/charity.

This list below is not complete, please accept apologies if we have not as yet added your name or that of groups/organisations you belong to. It will be updated over next few days.

For the last couple of years, the issue of welfare reform has consistently been an important issue for people with mental health problems. Mind has called for changes to the Work Capability Assessment but the pace of reform has been too slow, meanwhile tens of thousands of people are being reassessed using a test which is still not fit for purpose. We hear from many people who tell us that changes to the welfare system are adversely affecting their mental health, and that the demonisation of disabled people claiming welfare benefits in the media only serves to compound the stress and anxiety they experience. We support the need for a cumulative impact assessment to reveal the true extent of these reforms on the hardest hit in society.

Paul Spencer

Parliamentary Officer

MIND