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Here we go again pip

Dianaf

Has anybody seen all the new news articles online saying that the pip voucher scheme is back on the agenda. I thought labour had said they are not going forward with the voucher scheme but now they are saying they are? Very confused and worried again.

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Comments

michael57

i myself would say unless it comes from the horses mouth take all what these click bait media sites say with a pinch of salt

Albus_Alumni

Heya @Dianaf I'd agree with Michael here, there's a lot of speculation and many "news" sources tend to just be trying to get people upset or angry as they get paid per click onto the websites.

We have no official news, so I'm trying not to worry until we hear something from the government themselves, anything else is just pure speculation.

Amaya_Ringo

Iirc the government have said nothing concrete either way on anything yet. We just have to wait.

Dianaf

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/941562#Comment_941562

Thanks Albus. Yes I'm sure all these online news companies want to scare disabled people and get enjoyment from it.

secretsquirrel1

Hi everyone,

I’ve never commented on the forum before but I’m worried and confused about the vouchers as I keep hearing conflicting information. Stephen Timms seems to have ruled them out but Liz Kendall hasn’t . Now I’ve just watched a video on YouTube by The dynamic duo. They apparently have whistle blowers within the DWP who have now told them that behind the scenes the government have told them to prepare for news on vouchers in April and they are still being mentioned. Does anyone from scope have any real information regarding the dreaded vouchers ? Thank you for any replies.

Albus_Alumni

Hey @secretsquirrel1 I totally understand the worry, this situation has many of us on edge. Unfortunately no one has any concrete information on what will be happening, so I'd try not to listen to the youtubers, it's in their best interests to get people clicking on their videos as that's how they make their money. I had a watch of their latest video and their 'whistleblowers' have not given any evidence that they even work for the DWP and they also didn't say vouchers would be given. So I'd try not to panic.

The youtuber even said at the end "It's a big grey area that no one knows about"

So right now, the best thing we can do is not listen to any unreliable sources and just wait until the spring when there's actual announcements.

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942021#Comment_942021

thank you for replying Albus . I have read that charities including scope have been in contact with ministers and are fighting for us which helps me feel less stressed. I think the interviews from Timms and Kendall recently seemed a bit more compassionate regarding the sick and disabled so hopefully they aren’t as bad as the msm are portraying them to be . Thanks again .

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942042#Comment_942042

I agree with you . I think labour are looking so bad right now that targeting the disabled would finish them at the next election. I’m starting to question if they even have a plan regarding pip and wca . I just wish they’d try and put our minds at ease as I’ve been in a set back since the Tory’s green paper was announced.

Dianaf

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/941996#Comment_941996

I have seen that video on YouTube too! It's all very worrying if the information is coming from the dwp themselves.

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942603#Comment_942603

I’ve watched the videos for a while and interacted on comments and have found them to be inconsistent tbh. One minute don’t panic over vouchers and labour are too scared of repercussions now to go ahead with the Tory’s plans , next minute it’s looking bad for us . It’s constant worry but I feel more reassured on the scope forums reading the latest updates as maybe Kendall isn’t seeming as bad as I thought , though whether it’s genuine or labours nervous now who knows. It’s just horrible how our fears are being exploited this way .

Jimm_Alumni

I would personally be quite sceptical of an account saying it has DWP insiders who know exactly what is happening. I'd be worried this youtube account is playing on fears and pretending to know more than they really do to keep people engaged with their channel. We really can only go off information we know so far. Nobody in government has said they will be moving to vouchers. Some ministers have said they are not listening to the consultation from the previous government that included vouchers, some have said they note the negative responses to the consultation and are taking that forward and some ministers have been asked whether or not they rule out vouchers and have just not answered the question.

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942679#Comment_942679

thank you Jim . And sorry if I’ve caused any worry to people on here . I know from the comments how scared people are . I think you’re 100% correct actually as their recent videos are so rude to people who question them on it . I have a few times when I’ve seen the narratives changing each video. Thanks again.

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942679#Comment_942679

the person also claims he is an extra DWP employee and has friends and family who still are but obviously no proof of that .

Ironside1990

I've been following the channel and watched the DWP content. Even i'm starting to get sceptical. I think if you have anxiety, it's natural to want answers about something that is scaring us, but we go looking in the wrong place.

Doglover2

When I see anything on here with links esp.. then I believe. I've learned to ignore the utter frustrating nasty scaremongering from other sources. I think it's the best way. Otherwise we will all be basket cases, and I'm trying my utmost to hold it together. And at least try to enjoy Christmas, whatever way you celebrate it or don't. X

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942723#Comment_942723

yes absolutely. This has made my conditions worse as I’ve been in a set back since this started . Thank you all for reassuring me and sorry if I’ve worried anyone.

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942789#Comment_942789

it did start off as a normal channel but I’ve watched all the dwp videos and I’ve noticed he’s started putting out videos that have no real information. Or he’ll comment on something then next day say something completely different. Now he’s blocking ppl who says as much and accuses them of being trolls . I’ve noticed a change in his attitude that surprised me tbh . A lot of ppl were blocked for complaining about it before click bait and he said well that’s YouTube if you don’t like it unsubscribe.

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942808#Comment_942808

you may find it informative summerlove and he may have friends in dwp. I do watch others that just read facts as they find them on government websites etc but I never know if I can believe someone who makes claims of having whistleblowers . After a while I felt he was messing around knowing ppl are desperate for information.

Regarding ppl being denied pip for no reason that reminds me of when pip first came out and my assessor lied and gave me zero points . Took two years fighting upper tribunal. Things seemed have become fairer so it’ll be awful thinking they’re going back to when things were even harder .

secretsquirrel1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/942817#Comment_942817

I tend to get obsessive reading comments especially after the Tory’s green paper. My ME is still in a set back months later . But after reading some comments on here regarding questions Liz kendall had answered a few days ago I feel a bit more confident in that maybe labour have softened their stance. At least I’m hoping so , though my brain fogs rather bad right now so I may have misread the information. It’s just awful how they aren’t putting our minds at rest isn’t it ?

chiarieds

I can only find Trustpilot reviews for the DWP in general. We have to remember that people will post there, on social media, & on this forum too very often because they've had a bad experience (people often have no reason to post if their experience has been positive).

Thankfully some of our members do return when they have good news. Not only does this put things into perspective, it also tallies with the latest available statistics, e.g. for PIP, with an initial claim there's over 50% of claimants that are awarded PIP, which is very similar to the last published statistics (& is consistent with the last 5 years statistics too). Please see:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-statistics-to-july-2024/personal-independence-payment-official-statistics-to-july-2024

Misinformation & speculation is everywhere (in much of the media), as has been said many times in this forum. I trust that the Scope team will help keep everyone correctly informed when more is known in due course.