General Election 2024: What are the biggest issues you're facing?

Meg24

onlymeagain said:

Meg24 said:

I want the WCA changes to be scrapped and LCWRA not to be tied to receiving PIP. Also UC rates to be brought in line with current legacy rates to remove the horrendous problem of the erosion of transistional protection which will see us so much worse off in just a few years. As it stands, if the Tory's plans are put into practice I will not be able to claim LCWRA when I am reassessed (which we all will be at some point, see benefitsandwork) and I will not be able to afford to pay my rent contribution on the home I have lived in for 16 years. I also will not be able to afford my dogs. Losing my home and my only companions will destroy me, I will not survive it. The WCA changes will mean I will not be found to have LCWRA, even though I have been in the support group for 15 years. This is not just a pressing issue for me, it is life or death.

I haven't heard of LCWRA being tied with PIP before. My middle son is on LCWRA but doesn't receive PIP.

The Tories plan to abolish the WCA and make the current LCWRA element only available to people on PIP. At the same time they want to remove LCWRA from most people with mobility or MH issues. They say it's only going to affect new claims, but in the same breath admit that it will also include people who get reassessed, which is everyone eventually. They also plan to allow work coaches to be in full control of conditionality for everyone, meaning that even if you do get PIP, you still might be pressured to undertake work preparation and could be sanctioned if you don't. Because these decisions will be made by work coaches rather than a WCA, there will be no legal appeal route, so no more tribunals which as we know, have a high success rate currently. They paint all this as 'helping' the disabled into work when all it is is a horrendously dangerous cost cutting exercise. The Tories must go and Labour must stop this.

onlymeagain

Meg24 said:

onlymeagain said:

Meg24 said:

I want the WCA changes to be scrapped and LCWRA not to be tied to receiving PIP. Also UC rates to be brought in line with current legacy rates to remove the horrendous problem of the erosion of transistional protection which will see us so much worse off in just a few years. As it stands, if the Tory's plans are put into practice I will not be able to claim LCWRA when I am reassessed (which we all will be at some point, see benefitsandwork) and I will not be able to afford to pay my rent contribution on the home I have lived in for 16 years. I also will not be able to afford my dogs. Losing my home and my only companions will destroy me, I will not survive it. The WCA changes will mean I will not be found to have LCWRA, even though I have been in the support group for 15 years. This is not just a pressing issue for me, it is life or death.

I haven't heard of LCWRA being tied with PIP before. My middle son is on LCWRA but doesn't receive PIP.

The Tories plan to abolish the WCA and make the current LCWRA element only available to people on PIP. At the same time they want to remove LCWRA from most people with mobility or MH issues. They say it's only going to affect new claims, but in the same breath admit that it will also include people who get reassessed, which is everyone eventually. They also plan to allow work coaches to be in full control of conditionality for everyone, meaning that even if you do get PIP, you still might be pressured to undertake work preparation and could be sanctioned if you don't. Because these decisions will be made by work coaches rather than a WCA, there will be no legal appeal route, so no more tribunals which as we know, have a high success rate currently. They paint all this as 'helping' the disabled into work when all it is is a horrendously dangerous cost cutting exercise. The Tories must go and Labour must stop this.

It will be interesting to see how many employees will be happy to wipe his backside for him. And since he cannot go out alone, they may have to collect and drop him home after too.

ACC

I have been on ESA for a while now and am currently getting assessed for Autism.. I feel the government needs a better understanding of Autism and how it affects people differently.

I am currently freaking out about the prospect of being re assessed before a Autism diagnosis and also if it turns out i am Autistic how that affects any future assessments the DWP does. These types of worries are pushing my towards the edge and it just feels like there is no help or support out there. MP's need to understand that people who are neuro-divergent process the world differently and need support not punishment for struggling, not everyone is out to fleece the system..

Aside from this i spoke to a friend of my who is being moved from tax credits to UC has been with out money since the middle of jan.. People like us who need these funds cant cope when the money is shut off, this needs to be re assessed by the government.. 

Tori_Scope

Thanks for sharing that @JasonRA! And sorry for the delay in me getting back to you. 

I think that's an interesting point about optimism. I've often heard from people who said there was more optimisim in the 90s and 2000s, though I'm sure everyone has their own experience of those decades of course. I'm a late 90s baby, and have always sort of felt a sense of political and economic dread to be honest. I didn't understand it fully at the time (or even now cough), but I think one of the first conversations around politics I remember more consciously tuning into was the 2008 financial crisis. And my first big vote was in the Brexit referendum. It's certainly been an interesting time since then. But some positive things have also happened  

Tori_Scope

Thanks for your comment @acc! Scope are a pan-disability charity, so it's fair to say we don't focus on autism specifically. But your comments around benefit assessments, and the benefit system more widely, certainly resonate. We think the disability benefit system should work for disabled people, so we're keen to work with the Government on improving the whole process. 

I'm sorry to hear that the uncertainty of reassessments is causing you considerable worry, and is pushing you towards the edge. It can definitely feel as though there's a lack of support out there. But I'd say the online community is a great place to get advice on your situation, as well as just chat to people who can relate to your experiences and concerns So please do lean on the community for support whenever you need it. 

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Albus_Scope

I see where you're coming from @Remina, I personally think the current working style is full of so many stressors its causing more people to be signed off with mental health issues and stress, especially since covid.  But they're not focusing on the root problems and instead waving around the usual "just do some yoga" approach which they think will "fix" everyone. If they're wanting to pump lots more funding into the mental health sector though, that is a good thing, just not all as talking therapies.

As for the current "Disabled people want to work" attitude, I do get that, many do. But many are unable to work and I think they may get caught in the crossfire between parties. 

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Albus_Scope

No need to apologise at all @Remina, talking things through can often help. And I agree, it is a bit of a scary time at the moment, but hopefully things will calm down given time and a few good people. 

Meg24

They are all definitely gunning for people with MH problems. What's terrifying is the lack of understanding or sympathy about non-psychotic MH issues, there ia still this prevailing attitude that unless you have schizophrenia or some other actively psychotic illness, that your MH is simply a matter of having a strong enough will or positive attitude. Unfortunately this is also a misunderstanding of the modern obsession with mindfulness and CBT, which is what they are talking about when they say they are expanding talking therapies. They read a bit about how CBT is about 'changing your mindset' read a few misleading statistics about it's effectiveness (highly debatable especially long term or for complex & severe MH) and they think that everybody who is depressed or has a personality disorder just needs to be 'given the right message' 

It's pervasive, even within the psychiatric services, this idea that if you don't improve with what they call treatment, that you're being willful.

Insight is not magic, I've had 20+ years of psychotherapy and I have great insight, it just isn't always enough when something is really deep. Then of course you have people with severe clinical depression for whom therapy might not work at all! 

The whole thing smacks of scapegoating, ignorance and prejudice and it's appalling that Labour is pedalling it too.

bookrabbit

While homelessness is the biggest issue facing me now I think the biggest issue that has faced me over the past ten years and is likely into the future is the attitude towards people who don't fit neatly into the usual economic categories whether due to physical disabilities or neuro divergence or poor mental health.

I think it would help now that if the government would acknowledge that raising the retirement age was always going to lead to more people claiming working age benefits it would help and that the pandemic and increased stress in modern day life and the impossibility of accessing good mental health care account for all the increases. Blaming people for it just makes people less likely to cope. Help needs to be positive not negative if it is going to encourage people to work. They achieve the opposite of what they say they want when they threaten and sanction people.

JasonRA

Yes the media, well the media on the right of politics are running attack lines on disabled benefits claimants constantly, I never noticed this in the past because I worked and studied so I was oblivious but now it's "othering" territory the amount of hatred being pushed.

Something happened since 2020 as to why more and more people are claiming benefits especially PIP and LCW/LCWRA. The Covid situation, cost of living, standard of living dropping and other issues are why there is a mental health crisis in Britain, this really should be addressed by the Government, you cannot wave a magic wand and pretend everything is fine. Then the Long Covid situation has just been ignored too.

The attack or negative narrative of disabled benefits claimants is the last throw of the dice for the Tories and it won't work, I hold the belief that there are too many compassionate people in Britain to allow such nasty, spiteful, hate filled scapegoating to take root into their minds.

 

IrishManc

JasonRA said:

Yes the media, well the media on the right of politics are running attack lines on disabled benefits claimants constantly, I never noticed this in the past because I worked and studied so I was oblivious but now it's "othering" territory the amount of hatred being pushed.

Something happened since 2020 as to why more and more people are claiming benefits especially PIP and LCW/LCWRA. The Covid situation, cost of living, standard of living dropping and other issues are why there is a mental health crisis in Britain, this really should be addressed by the Government, you cannot wave a magic wand and pretend everything is fine. Then the Long Covid situation has just been ignored too.

The attack or negative narrative of disabled benefits claimants is the last throw of the dice for the Tories and it won't work, I hold the belief that there are too many compassionate people in Britain to allow such nasty, spiteful, hate filled scapegoating to take root into their minds.

 

I do agree with this, as I’ve seen these attacks on disabled benefit claimants in some of the tabloids in my local shop and the language used is almost gleeful hatred against disabled benefit claimants - living here in Manchester 22 years and as an older Irish gay man with a later in life diagnosis of autism, I don’t see much difference from Labour or the other parties either - I don’t read the MSM that much since Covid, having family back home in Ireland, where our government is not much better - an interesting sign of hope could be where the UN is taking the U.K. government and the DWP to an international court because of breaches of human rights going back to 2016, but it would appear from some YouTubers that they are trying to suppress this from coming out 

Meg24

Interestingly John Pring at Disability News Service has been challenging the government's figures on the supposed increase in disability benefit claim. He is currently in the process of this and you can follow his efforts on the website. I for one would not be surprised if it turns out to be a twisting of facts to suit their agenda.

JasonRA

From the Mirror - UN slams Tories for 'demonising' disabled people as policies say they're 'undeserving citizens' - https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/un-slams-tories-demonising-disabled-32397181

This really is a bad look for the Tory Government.

WhatThe

the UN is taking the U.K. government and the DWP to an international court because of breaches of human rights going back to 2016

"A human catastrophe" is how the prospective reforms were described, should they be implemented.

I've been ineffective at explaining what occurred back then so I hope with all my heart that the truth is exposed and that it doesn't take years.  

 

WhatThe

Meg, John Pring reported on "secret plans" to remove ESA Regulation 29 then went quiet on the subject. As did everyone else. 

Florine

Meg24 said:

They are all definitely gunning for people with MH problems. What's terrifying is the lack of understanding or sympathy about non-psychotic MH issues, there ia still this prevailing attitude that unless you have schizophrenia or some other actively psychotic illness, that your MH is simply a matter of having a strong enough will or positive attitude. Unfortunately this is also a misunderstanding of the modern obsession with mindfulness and CBT, which is what they are talking about when they say they are expanding talking therapies. They read a bit about how CBT is about 'changing your mindset' read a few misleading statistics about it's effectiveness (highly debatable especially long term or for complex & severe MH) and they think that everybody who is depressed or has a personality disorder just needs to be 'given the right message'

Tell me about it   The situation in my family case is ME/CFS, where for decades it was alleged that CBT (and Graded Exercise Therapy) was a "cure", or at least a "treatment" for it. As a result, I have a family member whose condition deteriorated greatly beyond where they were pre-"treatment", rather than getting better!  Thankfully, NICE eventually looked at the real evidence and has now issued guidelines which prohibit CBT (and GET) as "treatments", although CBT is still allowed in some cases as a sort of "coping strategy" to help you cope with the associated difficulties.

Tori_Scope

Help needs to be positive not negative if it is going to encourage people to work. They achieve the opposite of what they say they want when they threaten and sanction people.

I love this @bookrabbit  

IrishManc

Post Diagnostic Autism assessments to determine level of autism for autistic adults and appropriate support required must be made much more widely available on the NHS and other state bodies without “red tape” such as GP referrals and there must be a far more understanding and compassionate approach taken by the DWP towards autism issues