Posted: 21 Sep 2011 10:21 AM PDT
Benefit claimants whose claims have been delayed or who have been refused crisis loans will now be signposted by Jobcentre Plus staff to food banks run by a Christian trust, signaling a pronounced move from welfare rights to charity.
In an article in The Independent by Jonathan Owen and Brian Brady they comment that this “is the first time in living memory that hungry people will have been passed on to charities in this way” as the Trussell Trust gears up to hand out 100,000 food parcels across England and Wales this year. The scheme will operate from the 70 existing food banks run by the Trust who is also planning to open a further 60 in the next six months. Jeremy Ravn, a Director of the Trust, estimates that 30 – 40% of those receiving the food parcels will be in need as a result of problems with benefits. A claimant will be limited to three consecutive referrals – each time giving them enough food for three days. They will be given basics such as tinned soup, baked beans, meat, fish and pasta. The government is making it ever more difficult to claim for benefits as they attempt to expunge any notion of welfare entitlement from our society. Once claims are accepted it is also ever more uncertain that a claimant will receive any money as benefit payment centres are closed and staff made redundant alongside a policy of stopping claims at any and every opportunity. Disabled people are being plunged into poverty and destitution. We are also being forced into greater dependency as the very real fear of being left without any source of income inhibits aspirations to try for anything different. As a result of the government’s attack on the welfare state, people with no income will be left with a choice of either starving or stealing to feed themselves. The introduction of food banks enables the government to excuse itself from taking responsibility for putting people who are powerless and in need into this position; it will mean they can more easily demonize those who do resort to crime to survive by pretending this is not their only option, meanwhile creating a section of society who are without opportunity and are dependent upon the charity of those who have chosen to pursue wealth and material gain as a life choice. Shame on the Trussell Trust for colluding with the government in the destruction of the welfare state and the rights of disabled people to live equally and with dignity. For full story go to: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jobcentres-to-send-poor-and-hungry-to-charity-food-banks-2356578.html |
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Posted: 21 Sep 2011 08:29 AM PDT
 PR E S S S T A T E M E N T UKDHM Celebrating Our Struggle for Equality UK Disability History Month is holding a Pre-Launch for 2011 on Thursday 22nd September at the TUC, Great Russell Street, WC1 from 5pm to 6.30 pm. Please come. This is a crucial time to celebrate the contribution of disabled people to our society, now and in the past. We seem to be under attack on all sides with cuts in our livelihood, benefits and housing. We are made out to be cheats and liars in parts of the popular press. Hate crime is on the increase as we are increasingly picked upon to vent people’s frustrations with the current economic situation. Yet disabled people have always made a terrific contribution to humanity. Think of just a few from history-Julius Cesar, Milton, Isaac Newton, Beethoven, Horatio Nelson, Emily Dickenson, Harriet Tubman, Florence Nightingale, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Van Gogh, Frida Khalo, Virginia Wolfe, Paul Klee and Alan Turing to see our impact. More recently, David Blunkett MP , Ian Dury, Richard Branson, Stephen Fry, Bill Gates, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, Dame Jane Campbell, Lord Low, Alison Lapper, Evelyn Glennie, Oscar Pretorius, Betty Jackson, Stevie Wonder are a tiny proportion of those who have made a difference and would count as disabled people under the Equalities Act. Disability History Month 22nd November to 22nd December is already supported by more than 80 organisations. It provides an annual focus for the wider community to develop a more positive attitude towards disabled people and better understand the barriers we face in society, which despite improvements in recent years, is still largely hostile to us. Schools, colleges, workplaces, trade unions, councils, community and disabled people’s organisations throughout the UK will be holding events to celebrate UKDHM, discover our history and to challenge the negative stereotypes that lead to discrimination. At the pre-launch contributors will be :- Penny Bechizza-Being Deaf now and in the past,, Michelle Daley-Black disabled experience in the UK, Micheline Mason, poet- ‘Sorry I don’t Have the Time’, Katherine Quarmby- author of ‘Scapegoat’, Richard Rieser-UKDHM 2011, Dr. Sonali Shah,-author of ‘Living as a Disabled Person 1940s,1960s,1980s ’ For more information on UKDHM go to website http://www.ukdisabilityhistorymonth.com or contact Richard Rieser, UKDHM Co-ordinator 07715420727 or email rlrieser@gmail.com |
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Posted: 21 Sep 2011 05:27 AM PDT
The Labour party conference starts in Liverpool on Saturday. As we all know, Labour were the architects of Employment Support Allowance and the ‘not fit for purpose’ Work Capability Assessment which is so stressful and traumatic it was linked to the suicide of claimants whilst Labour were still in power. The Labour party are the official party of opposition, but they are not opposing the Welfare Reform Bill as they should be and seem to have forgotten that the 10 million sick and or disabled people plus carers, friends and family in the UK have the power to vote. It is time for us to remind Labour that they will not get any of our votes if they do not start to oppose the parts of the Welfare Reform Bill set to return sick people, disabled people and carers to a life of desperation, dependency, despair and charity.
We are asking you to help with a mass email to the Labour party to remind them of our voting power. Please include the following details in your email and send it to Ed Miliband, Margaret Curran (shadow minister for disability) and Liam Byrne (shadow minister for DWP). If you have time please also email it to any Labour MP and particularly any members of the shadow cabinet. We have provided a list of email contacts below. Please aim to send your email at 11am tomorrow (Thursday the 22nd September) If you can’t send the email at 11am, don’t worry, just please try to send it at any time between then and the end of Labour party conference on Wednesday 29th September. The email subject should read “Your Silence Is Deafening” We suggest embedding a link to this youtube video “The Sound of Silence” To embed the video into your email just copy and paste the link below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvsX03LOMhI Then please copy the following text into your email; Dear (insert name here) ‘The 10 million disabled people in this country plus their carers, relatives and friends are watching what your party do in relation to disability issues and wondering why you seem uninterested in trying to get their votes by opposing the savage attacks against disabled people being made by the Coalition government. During conference season we wish to remind you, the architects of Employment and Support Allowance to ‘never fall ill, never grow old, never become disabled’ (and never become a carer), for if you do, as we have found, not even Labour will speak up for you.’ If you would like to add a short, personal message explaining to Labour how you feel about their lack of support for sick, disabled people and carers then please include it after the suggested text. You might also like to include a photo of yourself, or perhaps a photo of what disability, sickness or caring means to you. Don’t worry if you don’t want to personalise the email, sending the suggested text is fine. Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 4778 ed.miliband.mp@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Work & Pensions Liam Byrne House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 6953 Fax: 020 7219 1431 byrnel@parliament.uk House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 8102 Fax: 020 7219 6656 margaret.curran.mp@parliament.uk Shadow Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP coopery@parliament.uk Shadow Chief Secretary Angela Eagle eaglea@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills John Denham denhamj@parliament.uk Cabinet Office and Minister for the Olympics Tessa Jowell jowellt@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Caroline Flint House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 4407 Fax: 020 7219 1277 caroline.flint.mp@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport Ivan Lewis House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 2609 lewisi@parliament.uk Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Hilary Benn House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 5770 hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Defence Jim Murphy House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 4615 Fax: 020 7219 5657 jimmurphymp@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Mary Creagh House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 6984/020 7219 8766 Fax: 020 7219 4257 creaghm@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Election Coordinator Andy Burnham House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 8250 andy.burnham.mp@parliament.uk Shadow Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for Justice Sadiq Khan House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 6967 Fax: 020 7219 6477 sadiqkhanmp@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Meg Hillier House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 5325 Fax: 020 7219 8768 meghilliermp@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Health John Healey House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 6359 Fax: 020 7219 2451 healeyj@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shaun Woodward House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 2680 woodwardsh@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Ann McKechin House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 8239 Fax: 020 7219 1770 ann.mckechin.mp@parliament.uk Constituency Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Maria Eagle House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 4019 Fax: 020 7219 1157 eaglem@parliament.uk Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 3925 Fax: 020 7219 3816 hainp@parliament.uk Steven Timms MP timmss@parliament.uk stephen@stephentimms.org.uk Karen Buck MP buckk@parliament.uk |
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Thursday, 22 September 2011
Charity to replace welfare rights as Jobcentres send poor and hungry to Christian food banks
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