Get your MP to act against cuts

I hope injections help are they liquid gold I was really really good not so much today

@Catherine21 just standard steroid injections with local anaesthetic. Haven’t gone that far to win “liquid Gold injections” 🤣

I summarised the green paper here.

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1000745/#Comment_1000745

I think you must have the same MP As me! Unless of course it's election time or a photo opportunity!

@Tori_Scope , I’ve just realised that the consultation document isn’t available in an accessible format, making it difficult to read. If this reform is truly meant for disabled and vulnerable people, shouldn’t accessibility be a priority? Has Scope raised this issue with the government? Thanks.

@Tori_Scope , thank you. I hope the government gets the accessible format released sooner. Take care !

From my Lib Dem MP :

Thank you for your correspondence concerning benefits reform. 

If the Government was serious about cutting welfare spending it would get serious about fixing health and social care and the broken Department of Work and Pensions.

The Liberal Democrats have long said that the best way to bring down benefit spending is to fix health and social care and fix it quickly.

This involves investing in preventative health measures by boosting the public health grant, properly funding mental health support, especially for young people, and reforming social care.

That is why it has been so disappointing to see the Government’s lack of urgency in this area, putting their social care review on a three-year timeline, kicking projects like new hospitals into the long grass, and still no overhaul of the Department.

Until that changes, no meaningful drop in the welfare bill will arrive, and the misery that people are suffering will continue.Rather than relentless cost-cutting, we need long-term reform to create a fairer, more compassionate system—one that provides security and dignity for those who rely on it.

I completely appreciate that people have been thrown into really damaging uncertainty and need clarity as soon as possible.We haven’t seen the official impact assessment or the Government’s full costings, which will come in the Spring Statement. That said, we’ve been very clear that some of these announcements are simply wrong, for example cutting PIP for people who need support with daily tasks, and of course that will reflect on how we deal with the legislation when it comes to Parliament.

We have to bring the welfare bill down and support more people into work - it’s what’s right for people and our economy. But you don’t do that by slashing support for disabled people - some of whom will never be able to work, while others need PIP precisely so that they can continue to work.

Everyone knows the previous Conservative Government left our economy and public services in a mess, but the Chancellor’s budget failed to grow our economy or create new jobs for people to turn to.If the Government wants to boost the finances quickly, they could be asking the banks, big tech and online gambling firms to pay a bit more out of their massive profits, rather than going after people with disabilities.

Please be assured I will scrutinise the content of the Spring Statement next week and remain committed to holding the government to account on this vital issue. 

If your require additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

The first and only message I received from my Labour MP on 06/02/2025 (used the Scope template shared that time )

Dear Sir

Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns about upcoming reforms to the disability benefits system.

Further details about the Government’s plans will be laid out ahead of the Chancellor’s Spring Statement on 26 March. But let me assure you that I support a different approach to that taken by the previous administration. As stated in the manifesto I stood on, I am committed to championing the rights of disabled people and to the principle of working with them, so that their views will be at the heart of policy.

In its White Paper, Get Britain Working, the Government outlines its ambition to reform the broken Work Capability Assessment. The goal is to create a system that is trusted by its users, while being simpler to navigate and empowering disabled people. The White Paper is clear that disabled voices will form the basis of these reforms and that any changes will work to reduce poverty for disabled people.

More widely, I want to see a social security system that gets decisions right the first time and which focuses on what people can do, not just what they cannot. I welcomed the commitment, in the October 2024 Budget, to fund more than £800 million in disability employment support and I also favour reforms that can give practical help and support to people when it comes to getting a job and staying in work.

This approach will see a greater focus on personalising employment support. For example, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) intends to devolve more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve. These plans are central to the Government’s missions of kickstarting economic growth and breaking down barriers to opportunity.

Please be assured that I will remain committed to prioritising disabled voices, and working collaboratively with them, as the Government shares more details on its plans for reforming the social security system in the coming months.

Thank you again for writing to me about this important issue.
  Kind regards,