So labour won by a landslide - what happens next? (Both in general & disabled ppl perspective)

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Comments

  • Tonawanda17
    Tonawanda17 Online Community Member Posts: 177 Contributor

    Hi apple. Thanks again. My understanding of the blair thing (Could be wrong) was that they were suggesting HMRC sharing information on savings etc with dwp? Thanks and remember that this was just my understanding which could be wrong

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing

    I see you've made the same comment quite a few times on here. HMRC and DWP have always shared information with each other. In the same way DWP share information with local Authorities and vice versa. That's nothing new.

    I do understand you're anxious about this but nothing has happened yet, nothing is about to happen either and at the moment everything remains as it is now.

  • JasonRA
    JasonRA Online Community Member Posts: 299 Championing

    Monday Economy and Welfare debate. Was announced by the Speaker.

  • Tonawanda17
    Tonawanda17 Online Community Member Posts: 177 Contributor

    Hi Poppy. Thanks for your reply. Are you saying that HMRC already tell DWP about savings we hold?

    I am fully cont. based ESA now and have been for 15 years but prior to that i was on Incapacity and can't remember if i also go an income support part. Nor can i remember what savings i had at that time. My memory isn't great and it just worries me. Thanks

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing

    No. Savings have nothing to do with HMRC. As your ESA is contributions based then savings doesn't affect this anyway.

  • Tonawanda17
    Tonawanda17 Online Community Member Posts: 177 Contributor

    Hi Poppy and thanks again for your help. I thought the tax man knew about every account we hold? (Savings, investments etc). As i say - cant remember if i had income support with incapacity or not but then it was a very long time ago. Thanks

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing

    I really think you're overthinking this. You need to try to focus on something else for a while. It doesn't matter what benefits you claimed all those years ago because you no longer claim them.

  • Amaya_Ringo
    Amaya_Ringo Online Community Member Posts: 398 Championing

    Just skimmed through this thread, found a lot of the information interesting. What they are doing with the disability stuff will also be a new approach, I'm happy to wait and see before I rampage about it :)

    I sadly don't have a new MP to write to about disability concerns, as my local MP hasn't changed. I have communicated with him before, he has sometimes tried to help (his team were great during my PIP claim) but I think he's probably sick of me since I did contact him both about the online security bill and the vouchers for PIP aspect. And now the Tories aren't making the decisions. I'll give him a break for a while.

    Do intend on contacting some of the people about the realities of disability and employment though. In that it's not disabled people stopping disabled people from getting jobs, and I'm frankly sick of hearing that narrative from political folks. It's easier to scapegoat disabled folk but less productive than making actual change.

    Don't like to get really emotive on these threads but shocked anyone here would suggest means testing PIP.

  • MW123
    MW123 Scope Member Posts: 1,408 Championing

    @Amaya_Ringo

    Like you I was surprised that some people were suggesting means-testing PIP. If PIP were to become means-tested, I would no longer qualify because my income would exceed the threshold. While I understand that some people believe it should be means-tested, and I respect that view, it's important to consider that disability related expenses remain significant regardless of income level.

    PIP is a non-means-tested benefit, meaning that eligibility is not affected by a person's income or savings. However, if PIP were to transition to a means-tested benefit in the future, where eligibility is determined based on income and savings, it could have several implications.

    One significant implication is that other means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, may adjust their policies to include PIP as part of a claimant's income. This could potentially lead to a reduction in the amount of Universal Credit received by individuals with disabilities.

    The non-means-tested nature of PIP was originally designed to ensure that all disabled people, regardless of their financial situation, receive the support they need. Means-testing could undermine this principle by excluding those who have significant disability related costs but higher incomes. This exclusion not only risks leaving vulnerable individuals without adequate support but also diminishes the effectiveness and relevance of the benefit overall.

    By standing together on this issue, we acknowledge the inherent value of supporting all individuals who face disability related challenges. This approach ensures that everyone, regardless of their financial circumstances, receives the necessary assistance to live with dignity and fulfil their potential.

  • Ralph
    Ralph Online Community Member Posts: 146 Empowering

    It would be helpful if the government made their plans clear and quickly to allay the justified fears that disabled and sick people are feeling at the minute. If anyone in Scopes management is in contact with the government perhaps they could stress this point.

  • Meg24
    Meg24 Online Community Member Posts: 390 Trailblazing

    I used to be self employed and although I know I don't have to keep my accounts longer than 7 years, I've still got them because the system makes me anxious, even though I know I've done nothing wrong. It's not so easy as to just stop thinking about it is it? I hope you are able to find a way to lessen your anxiety, they don't make it easy for us though, especially with all this talk of AI. Solidarity x

  • WhatThe
    WhatThe Online Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 4,385 Championing

    I'm in two minds about means testing PIP, if they ever do I think they would have to set the bar quite high e.g £50k a year income and £40k capital limits

    Child Benefit was changed to means-testing in 2013. The earnings threshold for a couple to receive it is now £80,000 so it wasn't about fairness to parents on low incomes or reducing costs - it just created more administration and work for the department.

    CB was the only income to sustain me when all my other benefits were unlawfully stopped. I presume that is why it became means-tested.

  • Andi66
    Andi66 Online Community Member Posts: 995 Championing

    Ok, I emailed Sir Stephen Timms, the new disabled mp about our concerns about UC migration and pip. He emailed back to look at it, needs my address which I scared to do, especially with anything with dwp. And in case it effects my benefit

    It was just airing concerns of all of us

  • Ironside1990
    Ironside1990 Online Community Member Posts: 352 Pioneering

    That's nothing to worry about @andi66

    He needs your address to check to see if you live in his constituency, as there is a strict protocol that MPs can only deal with matters from people who live in their constituency.

  • apple85
    apple85 Online Community Member Posts: 893 Championing

    is that a new policy?

    As I’ve contacted the mp of where my assigned dwp assessment centre was located a few years back (nowhere close to my constituency - my local mp at the time was a known disinterested sod to put it politely) not only did we get a response and help back but also follow up emails afterwards

    @Andi66 - id recommend you tell him your constituency name if you don’t want to give address, explain that your disabled (and if your local mp is an unempathetic Tory mp then casually drop that in too)

  • apple85
    apple85 Online Community Member Posts: 893 Championing

    @Albus_Scope

    Is it okay that I wait till gov summer recess to start before fully responding to this? - I have opinions but in the name of fairness and patience I’ll wait to see if a couple of things are addressed before posting too judgemental a post


    I will say for now that what Kendall says and addresses charity CEO’s (esp large charities like scope that are also businesses) can be (and so far is) very different to what she is saying in public (the direct quotes us average run of the mill disabled have access to)

    99% of disabled comments I’ve read around the web on Kendall the past fortnight are not positive, lukewarm at best (and that she’s not doing much to get rid of the ‘red Tory’ tag)

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 10,514 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Not a problem at all @apple85 I may of course be being a bit too hopeful with people, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed haha.

  • Andi66
    Andi66 Online Community Member Posts: 995 Championing

    I just put the town , and just said said people are concerned about migration and pip. And as he is the minister for disabled to see what he can do about concerns we have

  • WhatThe
    WhatThe Online Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 4,385 Championing

    Andi, Timms may be disabled but he is not on our side and never was while serving as Shadow Disability Minister either.

    He supported the welfare reforms and cuts in 2015 which became law in 2016 are now in force and hurting disabled people. Check his voting record and 20+ years developing social security legislation ie diluting the protective measures written into the Welfare Reform Act of 2007.

  • Andi66
    Andi66 Online Community Member Posts: 995 Championing

    Oh that's not good, what's happened to humanity to disabled people. It's not our fault.