Green Paper Discussion (from 24th March, 2025)

Thanks very much I'm unsure if I get lcwra, I find it overwhelming so all I can do is wait for the brown envelopes 😔

I'm wondering whether that would be legal/what kind of legislation would be necessary to enable it. But honestly, with DLA I never had an assessment, because it wasn't needed. They had all the evidence and they reached a conclusion and it was painless. Whereas PIP they had an assessment and all my evidence (I recorded my assessment but it bears little resemblance to either the assessment report or the decision letter). MR was even worse. Tribunal was hellish but they did actually review my evidence and so awarded me the same as the DLA had years before. All that expense to the tax payer which could have been avoided by just shifting me from DLA to PIP equivalent with a check that nothing had changed.

This is what I would rather see done. People not needing to go to MR or tribunal because the job is done right the first time around.

So many articles demonising neurodivergence of late. Some very hateful. There are also some articles claiming autistic people are least at risk, but this is garbage. Anyone with autism or ADHD who has claimed PIP has probably been through war to get it. There are countless people out there who tried but fell at the first hurdle because the assessment destroyed them :/

Every time a govt minister conflates PIP with ESA, I just want to scream. Understanding which benefit is which and what each one does is the baseline for trying to make changes. If you don't understand/want to understand the difference you shouldn't be 'amending' them, much less claiming it's moral. It's not moral to put 3.2 million people, mostly disabled people, into poverty.

Going to reiterate what I said before. Even if the questions on the consultation don't ask what you want to say, still fill it in. Add whatever you think they should know. They can refuse to ask but we should still take the opportunity to tell them :)

Dear [removed by moderator - personal information],

I acknowledge receipt of your communication concerning the Government’s proposed changes to disability and other benefits.


As you will be aware from the Secretary of State’s Statement recently we have yet to learn of the details of the proposed changes. We should, perhaps, take some comfort from the fact that the Government has made it clear that those with debilitating long-term conditions should not have their benefits affected adversely and that those benefits may possibly be enhanced.


Do feel free to contact me again once the details have been confirmed and published.  Also, if I can assist you personally, please do let me know.


With my best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

ROGER

From:

 

 

<>




Sent:

 Friday, April 4, 2025 5:32 PM




To:

 GALE, Roger

 

<GALERJ@parliament.uk>




Subject:

 I’m worried about benefit cuts

 

Dear Sir Roger,







The fear and anxiety is through the roof I broke down twice now in engaging with DWP personnel how many more have and what effect has this caused on health? I’m writing to you as a constituent in Herne Bay and Sandwich to ask you to call on the Prime Minister to protect our social security system for people with mental health problems.







Our social security system should support everyone - especially those who need it most. But the announcement of £4.8bn in cuts to social security for disabled people is terrifying for people with mental health problems. The government’s own impact assessment estimates that these plans will push a further 250,000 people into poverty. Other estimates are already showing these figures will actually be even higher. And some of the most damaging changes aren’t even being included in the government consultation, which means those of us with real experience of mental health problems aren’t getting a say.







People with mental health problems already struggle to access the support they need through our current benefits system. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is supposed to help people cover the extra costs associated with their disability. Research has clearly demonstrated that life costs more for people with mental health problems. PIP is designed to help people to live more independent lives, and sometimes support them to overcome barriers to work. It enables people with mental health problems to pay for support like taxi fares when public transport feels impossible, help with chores due to fatigue, or higher food costs due to difficulties making food from scratch. Further restricting access to PIP will only make it harder for people to get the support they need. 







On top of this, the cuts to health-related payments from Universal Credit (UC) will only push more people with mental health problems into poverty. This could lead to a cycle of people being unable to pay for their basic needs and their mental health getting worse as a result.







The UK government has said that these changes are needed because the benefits system is broken, and they want to help people get into work. People with mental health problems who’ve tried to get support know that the system is broken better than most. But harsh cuts to support is not the answer. This will make it harder for people to get into work and will only make the system more broken.







Meanwhile, there are currently 1.6 million people on mental health waiting lists. Many of those people rely on the social security system as their safety net. The wait for treatment is worsening their mental health, increasing physical health problems, and deepening financial stress. Many people find themselves losing their jobs while waiting for support.  







Cuts like these are also likely to mean higher costs for the government in the long run. Even though the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts direct savings, it doesn’t consider the wider impact of these measures. Pushing more people receiving benefits into poverty will likely increase costs for other public services like the NHS, social care, children’s services, and housing services too.




Will you write to the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, today and call on him to urgently stop these harmful cuts to support for disabled people and people with mental health problems? The UK government must:







- Urgently stop plans to restrict access to PIP







- Urgently stop plans to cut the rate of the health element of UC







- Ensure the health element of UC continues to grow at least in line with inflation







The mental health charity, Mind, will be sending you a briefing with more detail on the points above. You may find this helpful when writing to the Prime Minister. Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I look forward to your response.







Kind regards,




Parliament Disclaimer: this e-mail is confidential to the intended recipient. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, or copying is not permitted. This e-mail has been checked for viruses, but no liability is accepted for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this e-mail. This e-mail address is not secure, is not encrypted and should not be used for sensitive data.

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The Rt Hon Sir Roger Gale MPgalerj@parliament.uk
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Yep the old Deserving/undeserving argument

I suspect that is government speak like when they say you would be better off on benefits while in work.

Oh, they will make plenty of money from this reform don't you worry about that. It will be in the 100s of billions over the course of the next few decades because they are reforming this for future claimants also not just the people who are on it now.

They will make so much money that they will have enough to pass around as toilet paper in their government parties. They will be laughing and enjoying going to concerts and holidays, eating in nice restaurants, going to events, dancing and partying, and making more and more money while we will be suffering and worrying everyday about money. We won't let it happen. They can not get away with it.

I think they mean those who currently do not receive/have not applied for PIP may meet a higher criteria (payment) than they currently receive via only LCWRA when they are forced to apply/be reviewed under the one-assessment process,

But, as I'm not a Tory of any shade (red or blue) I'm probably wrong.

However, you can bet your sweet booty the first person to whom this happens will receive wall-to-wall, 24/7 media coverage to allow the Red Tories to pretend their 'moral crusade' is justified.

My wife receives a 4pt award for preparing a meal so that's one consolation .…

But she only receives 2pts for mixing with other people and 2pts for making budgeting decisions when I believe they should have been 4pt awards.

At her next review (2027) can I contest these 2pt awards ?

I like many others haven't contested the 2pts because overall she was awarded enough pts for the higher care component of pip .

It's a belt and braces approach but the more 4pt categories she scores in the better as a safety buffer.

Thanks in advance

“Wolves in sheep's clothing comes to mind!”

Thanks @jul1aorways…However,with these lot-They’ve just been Wolves all along the way…. And have turned out to be Blood ..oh “Money Thirsty Merciless Vampires”

I went through five dla assessments all with doctors i might add, before I got indefinite. Then forced onto pip.. zero points. Like many seem to get, so went to tribunal. They watched my every move, sent me out while they went through my notes, this lady springs up next to us, starts chatting, now I'm not great to say the least in social situations, so my mum had a few words with her in general conversation, this is what she said... "This is my 13th tribunal , I'm not letting them away with anything ,look at all my evidence,see all those cameras, watching us like hawks they are. ! All this in A very loud voice. I swear when I thought about it later she was put there on purpose to see what way I'd react. If I'd engage etc. Best bit is,about 18 mths later a similar thing happened to a friend. Anyway got my pip back. For three years,Second time 2 points,another tribunal only paper based, 3yrs again, third time 4 points, did and MR, got it again onthat for four yrs, due a review very soon. I'd rather eat rusty nails. The stress is unreal. Esp when the assessor inthe first instance couldn't even look up from the computer and the other two phone assessments were a total farce too. Lies ,untruths ,made up stories,whatever you want to call them.... what willit be like now with this 4 points nonsense. Dreading beyond dread, as last assessment nearly ended me.

I hear you, @Catherine21 and you’re absolutely right!

It does feel outrageous that they seem to be getting away with it, but I genuinely believe they only will if we stay silent. That’s why I feel it’s so important we keep pushing back, especially through these live consultations. Even if people are struggling to respond to all the 20 questions, they should try to focus on the most relevant ones, like PIP and UC , Work , whichever affects them!

Although they recommend adding your views under each question in the link, I feel it may be easier to voice your concerns via email in a narrative style(own words!), save them bit by bit (within your energy levels), and email them to consultation.pathwaystowork@dwp.gov.uk once complete. It might not feel like much, but every voice adds so much weight in a democratic society. And if we don’t speak up in this live consultation, they’ll just say “nobody objected.” and could potentially have the upper hand.

If 16 million people stay quiet, thinking it’s somebody else’s or Charities businesses, it will only benefit the Liebour lot in this instance. I honestly don’t see any other way out of this. In my mind, I view it like a massive Individualised Mandatory Reconsideration request.

From what I’ve seen, this lot seem ready to push through anything, no matter how senseless or cruel…..even if it means fighting it legally. But I still have hope, especially when people like you & everyone here are speaking out. That does make a difference.

Best wishes, Catherine! Please do look after yourself. Nothing is over…There’s still so much hope! 🤗