The Peoples Assembly

This is a call to all those millions of people in Britain who face an impoverished and uncertain year as their wages, jobs, conditions and welfare provision come under renewed attack by the government. 

 

We aim to develop a strategy for resistance to mobilise millions of people against the Con Dem government. 

The assembly will provide a national forum for anti-austerity views which, while increasingly popular, are barely represented in parliament.

A People’s Assembly can play a key role in ensuring that this uncaring government faces a movement of opposition broad enough and powerful enough to generate successful co-ordinated action, including strike action.

The assembly will be ready to support co-ordinated industrial action and national demonstrations against austerity, if possible synchronising with mobilisations across Europe. The People’s Assembly Against Austerity will meet at Central Hall, Westminster, on 22 June.

PIP Last MInute Changes

 Found in People Against PIP Assessments

Disabled campaigners are horrified that under last-minute changes to the PIP criteria, claimants with physical mobility difficulties will have to show they can "stand and then move" no more than 20 metres "safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in an acceptable time period" to secure the enhanced mobility component.

 This means claimants who can walk 20 metres reasonably well but start to struggle at, say, 30 metres, won't be eligible for the Motability scheme or support to fund a private car or taxis.

Personal Experience of DLA to PIP

 This was sent to me by a friend explaining very well how the changes will effect her and her husband. 

"Say someone applying for PIP has a made to measure, lightweight wheelchair, which they paid for out of their DLA, so they can self propel, as opposed to the wheelchair clinic issue, which is a really heavy, cumbersome, monstrosity of a wheelchair, which has to be pushed by a carer. If you can propel your lightweight wheelchair 20 metres, you fail to qualify for PIP. 

So, you will need to use this chair as your only transport, as you have no benefit for a travel budget.

Your chair gets used over all kinds of terrain (gravel and cobbles are the most fun), for miles as in losing your PIP, you can't pay for your car and it is taken away. 

Wait... you can't self propel as far as the local shop (and it's uphill), let alone for over a mile into town. 

But as long as you can propel for 20 metres (the length of two buses).. the world is your oyster... apparently.

 How do you pay for the maintenance of said wheelchair?

£200 for a replacement seat, £100 for a new set of front wheels, £40 for new tyres.... all needing more frequent replacement, because of the extra usage.

Where does this money come from? 

I guess you could always use the hospital issue chair.. then you would need a carer to push all the time, but wait... your carer has lost their allowance, because you lost your PIP... in fact, your carer is on workfare now.... or if lucky enough, in full time employment.

Damn... this is getting complicated. So, a wheelchair accessible cab is rare and has to be booked well in advance in order to get one...after all there are so many wheelchair users no longer qualifying for PIP, so lots of competition for cabs now.

A return trip for town is £15, that's a lot of money to find out of well... nothing.

Let's grab a bus... yes, buses have ramps and wheelchair spaces now! 

Great. Except the wheelchair spaces are all full of pushchairs. Damn... wait for the next bus. Oh dear, the next bus isn't accessible. No point in going home in between because just getting to the bus stop has knackered you out... it's further than 20m away and you had to keep stopping and resting on the way. 

It's pouring down with rain... not unusual in the UK... you can't self propel in heavy rain as your tyres get slippery. Damn. Stranded. Just sit here and get soaked then and hope it stops... which it doesn't sometimes.

Sod it. Just stay in. Who needs to see a doctor or a dentist or go to a hospital appointment... or shop for food (you can't carry much in a wheelchair anyway - it makes it too heavy to self propel on the back and it slides off your lap.... especially on cobbles... I mentioned cobbles already, didn't I?)

Can anyone explain to me, how when you have kept your independence, because you had DLA, the assessment for Personal INDEPENDENCE Payments penalises that very independence and you end up penniless and housebound? Don't tell me this is unintentional."

People Against PIP Assessments

Join this group for help, information and support and to help others get through PIP assessment. 

 We can also plan to create events and protests against this ridiculous new replacement for DLA

GPs advised not to help Glasgow 'bedroom tax' appeals

GPS in Glasgow are being advised not to help patients who could be exempt from the 'bedroom tax'.

The body which represents GPs across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is now advising doctors not to provide letters to support claims against benefit cuts. In a letter to surgeries, the Glasgow Local Medical Committee (GLMC) said GPs were "not in a position to police the benefits system" and are "not resourced" to provide the service

Councillor Matt Kerr, Executive Member for Social Care at Glasgow City Council, said: "A GP's letter is only one of a number of sources of evidence we accept in support of a claim for the additional room allowance. "But with the clear link between poverty and poor health, it is unfortunate that GPs have taken this stance."