Email To Grahame Morris

Ironside1990
Ironside1990 Community Member Posts: 393 Pioneering

I've decided to email my MP about my concerns about the proposed PIP reforms and how the disabled community would be impacted. It's in my drafts, but i wanted to get a second opinion on here.

Dear Grahame Morris
I am writing to express concern about the proposed PIP reforms. Since Rishi Sunak announced this proposal to replace cash payments with vouchers, it has caused a lot of terror and anxiety amongst the disabled community, many PIP claimants are scared about the future. I have seen many a thread about it on the Scope forum and it is heartbreaking.
Cash payments allow disabled people to assess their own needs and purchase things to make their lives easier. It promotes not only independence to allow disabled people to go about their daily lives with ease, but also financial independence.
A voucher system would only create a financial apartheid and deny us independence. Being told how much to spend and where to spend it, doesn't really promote independence.
When parliament resumes on the 2nd September, I implore you to mention this at the next PMQs. The disabled community need peace of mind and we have the right to live with dignity and go about our lives in peace, without being demonised constantly.
Thank you for your time.

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Comments

  • Ironside1990
    Ironside1990 Community Member Posts: 393 Pioneering

    Email sent off. Now to wait for a response. Hope to have some reassurance.

  • Albus_Alumni
    Albus_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 11,373 Championing

    Fingers crossed for a good reply there @Ironside1990 thank you for sending that email.

  • Ironside1990
    Ironside1990 Community Member Posts: 393 Pioneering

    I'll keep an eye on my inbox and I'll post the response here,if I get a reply.

  • Razr
    Razr Community Member Posts: 207 Empowering

    A Voucher system, I for one will definitely be forced into debt, my finances are fine as they are, Does anyone know of a petition addressing this issue?

  • Albus_Alumni
    Albus_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 11,373 Championing

    The government are reading through the green paper now on it all now @Razr it's not set in stone, as it was just an idea thought up by the previous government, so I'd try not to worry too much.

  • LIVEDANDLEARNED
    LIVEDANDLEARNED Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    I’m glad you wrote an email to you MP I wish more people did. X

  • Razr
    Razr Community Member Posts: 207 Empowering

    @Ironside1990 would it help if we copy your letter and send one ourselves?

  • LIVEDANDLEARNED
    LIVEDANDLEARNED Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    @Razr I think it’s best if everyone writes a personal one from the heart about how it would affect them personally.

  • Ironside1990
    Ironside1990 Community Member Posts: 393 Pioneering

    I''ve been paranoid since I sent that email. It's the first time I've messaged a government figure and I hope I haven't come across as rude.

  • LIVEDANDLEARNED
    LIVEDANDLEARNED Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    @Ironside1990 I think your letter is wonderful and not rude all x

  • LIVEDANDLEARNED
    LIVEDANDLEARNED Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    I also wrote to Stephen Timms and I’ve got to say he was absolutely lovely about it. I think it’s really important that whatever passions we have about it, we remain polite and speak with sincerity, yet respect, or they’ll just not feel good about us. Ultimately we want a good relationship with them. I feel so worried about it all though, so I totally understand the stress everyone else feels too x

  • LIVEDANDLEARNED
    LIVEDANDLEARNED Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    @Ironside1990 I meant to say not rude AT ALL, sorry xx

  • Ironside1990
    Ironside1990 Community Member Posts: 393 Pioneering

    Bumping this thread, as i've received a reply. Not sure if this is positive or not.

    Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns about the previous Government’s proposals regarding the future of the Work Capability Assessment and Personal Independence Payment. Since then, there has been a change in Government.

    Further details about the Government plans will be announced in due course. 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 and voices will be at the heart of Government policy.

    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 also favour reforms that can give practical help and support to get people into work and to stay in work. This approach would see a greater focus on personalising employment support. It must also be a priority to tackle the backlogs in our NHS and social care that have built up over the past decade, as well as to recruit more mental health staff. In addition, I support an “into work guarantee” which would allow disabled people to try work without fear of losing their benefits and having to undergo yet more assessments. 

    More widely, I believe our job now is to unite our country, restoring service and respect to politics. I know that rebuilding people’s trust will take time, and I share the Prime Minister’s belief that that public service is a privilege, along with his aspiration to serve in the public interest. I also acknowledge that earning this trust will be done through actions rather than words, and I assure you that I will be working hard to do so.

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

    Grahame Morris MP

  • Razr
    Razr Community Member Posts: 207 Empowering

    go for it and see the responce

  • Razr
    Razr Community Member Posts: 207 Empowering

    you do not own the money, YOU ARE ACTUALLY BORROWING from the day you were born

    this is something I am extremely worried about, has it got any further than a piece of paper put in front of them?

  • Razr
    Razr Community Member Posts: 207 Empowering

    So i do think its a good idea to,so how do i write/type a letter/message so it is valid?

  • luvpink
    luvpink Community Member Posts: 4,739 Championing

    The thing that really worries me is how the will define who is going to have to work and will lose their benefits and who they will decide simply cannot work and therefor will be able to remain on benefits.

    Only time will tell but the wait to find out our fate is torturous.

  • Albus_Alumni
    Albus_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 11,373 Championing

    I agree the wait is 'orrible right now. But I can say there've been visits from the government to meet with various people at Scope and it sounds like they're actually listening to us. From what's been said previously, they want to help people who can work back to work, not force those who are unfit to work.

    Another of their focuses is to stop people having to be signed off long term, by actually giving people help via the NHS, so they're not signed off forever waiting for operations.

  • LIVEDANDLEARNED
    LIVEDANDLEARNED Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    That’s a lovely reply you got.