Monday 16 January 2012

Jan 17 And The Future of DLA

Tomorrow (Jan 17) the House Of Lords will once again discuss the Welfare Reform Bill, which is currently in its' Third Report Stage.  They will focus on proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance.

I, like many recipients of this vital benefit, am profoundly worried what we may be discussing this time tomorrow night.

Last week the Coalition suffered a bloody nose from the House of Lords voted in favour of three amendments to the Welfare Reform Bill.  Today, Lord Freud, in an attempt to ensure that tomorrow will not be a repeat of that knockback, sent a letter to his peers with the intent of discrediting the "Spartacus Report" and trying desperately to halt the momentum the online campaign has been gathering over the past week or so.

You can view Lord Freud's letter and the Spartaci's reply here.

As I mentioned in my opening Blog, DLA is unbelievably important for me - without it, it would be extremely difficult for me to get out of my house.  I would be a virtual prisoner in my own home.  Many people rely on Disability Living Allowance, and the proposed changes would be disastrous for countless people.

The reform plans intend to cut DLA by 20%, despite the fact that just 0.5% of all DLA claims are fraudulent.  They also intend the rename from DLA to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).  This is being proposed despite a shorter consultation period than the Governments' own guidelines suggest (and cynically over the Christmas period) which, frankly, shows the contempt for those with an alternative view to this Coalition government.

I, like many others, believe that we need a six-month pause for these changes to be consulted on properly.  I believe that these changes are a cynical money saving exercise that punish the most vulnerable and least well off in our society.  And I absolutely believe that the Coalition has utterly betrayed each and every person who receives this vital benefit by backtracking on their Coalition statement promise which stated that DLA would not be changed.

January 17 will be a very nervous day for myself.  But I stand shoulder to shoulder with my fellow Spartaci.

If you stand with us, follow @suey2y and @BendyGirl on Twitter, and point your browser at diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com.  I'm also on Twitter @crazybladeuk.

I Am Spartacus.  Alone We Whisper, Together We Shout.


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