The Hardest Hit

Government Overturns Welfare Reform Bill Amendments

The Hardest Hit — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:56:24 +0000

Last night MPs overturned key amendments to the Welfare Reform Bill that had been won in January by Peers in the House of Lords. This is a blow to disability campaigners as it reinstates many of the Governments original proposals, including one which plans to reduce contributory Employment and Support Allowance to 12 months for those with a disability, but who are judged capable of working at some point in the future.

Ministers say they will use a convention known as “financial privilege” to effectively end further parliamentary opposition and push the Bill through to become law with no further challenge.

It is important to recognise that thanks to sustained pressure by campaigners we have had some significant victories – changing proposals that would have had a serious negative effect on the lives of disabled people, including:

Overturning plans to cut disability benefits from people living in care homes
The Government is no longer going ahead with plans to increase the time people must wait before they qualify for PIP, the successor to Disability Living Allowance
Although stopping short of agreeing a full review, the Government committed to important concessions on the implementation of PIP.

There is more to be done, on Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in particular. The DWP consultation on the detail of this benefit that will replace DLA is currently open and later in the year regulations will be laid in Parliament. This means that we continue to campaign to ensure that the needs of all disabled people are properly understood and recognised in this new benefit.

24 hours until Welfare Reform Bill vote: tweet your MP

The Hardest Hit — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:18:30 +0000

In 24 hours MPs will start voting on whether to back important changes made to the Welfare Reform Bill by the House of Lords.

This is our last chance to make sure that thousands of people with disabilities and long-term conditions get the financial support they need from the welfare state.

If you’ve got Twitter, please tweet your MP asking them to back the extended two year time-limit on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Here’s how:

1) Find out if your MP is on Twitter here: simply enter your postcode or select your constituency.

2) Feel free to write your own tweet, or you can choose one of our pre-prepared ones:

Please vote tomorrow to back the Lords’ #WRB Clause 51 amendments to support the #hardesthit ill & disabled people. #vote2years

94% of people on ESA need more than 12 months to get well. Please vote to extend ESA to at least 2 years. #vote2yrs #WRB #hardesthit

Vote to support ill & disabled people. Vote to keep partners and carers in work. Please #vote2yrs on #WRB ESA clauses. #hardesthit

The final fight: contact your MP now

The Hardest Hit — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:32:25 +0000

In just under one month, the Welfare Reform Bill will make its way back to the House of Commons.

MPs will have the chance to either vote for or reject some important changes made by the Lords designed to help people with disabilities and long-term conditions access the support they need.

The vote of your MP will help determine the fate of disabled people across the United Kingdom who rely on welfare benefits.

Can you email your MP and ask them to make benefits fair?
Click Here to contact your MP in Support of the Campaign

Is your MP a Liberal Democrat?

The Hardest Hit — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:32:16 +0000

Liberal Democrat party conference in September 2011 passed a policy motion which opposed any arbitrary time limit on contributory Employment and Support Allowance (cESA), which the Hardest Hit coalition welcomed.

The one-year time limit on how long someone can receive cESA was originally in the bill despite the Department for Work and Pensions estimating that 94% of those on cESA and in the work related activity group will take longer than this to find work. While the House of Lords did not remove this limit from the bill entirely, an amendment was successfully passed to make this time limit a minimum of two years (potentially more). But in February MPs will vote on whether to accept this Lords amendment, so please urge your own MP to vote to support disabled people.

If you live in a constituency with a Lib Dem MP, please make a special effort to go to see your MP in person this week (the vote in the House of Commons could be as early as 1 February). As Lib Dem policy is against any time limit, we believe that Lib Dem MPs should at least support this Lords amendment which extends the time limit and so mitigates the effect for some people.

The below table gives details of when Lib Dem MPs are holding their surgeries before the end of the month. All Lib Dem MPs are listed, some may have other surgeries which we do not currently have information about. It is recommended that you telephone the constituency office to check details or make an appointment.

Liberal Democrat MP surgeries

If you don’t have Microsoft Word installed click this link to view the table online using Google Docs: Liberal Democrat MP surgeries (online version)

Government rethink on qualifying for Personal Independence Payment

The Hardest Hit — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:00:03 +0000

Following intense campaigning by disabled people, the Government has announced it no longer plans to extend the qualifying period for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) from three to six months. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has responded to criticism that doubling the qualifying period would penalise claimants who suddenly become ill or disabled.

The Government rethink on its welfare plans means claimants will be eligible for PIP if they have been living with a health condition or disability that limits their independence for three months and will continue to experience the same barriers to daily living and mobility for a further nine months.

This is a big victory and proves how important the Hardest Hit campaign has been in getting the Government to amend the Welfare Reform Bill.

Government defeated on time limiting of ESA

The Hardest Hit — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:22:32 +0000

Last night (Wednesday 11th January) the Government was defeated in the Lords on the time limiting of contributory ESA. An amendment was passed that extends the period of eligibility to at least two years. This was a great result and we now need to put maximum pressure on MPs to ensure this is not overturned when the Welfare Reform Bill returns to the Commons. This success is very much down to the Hardest Hit campaign and the efforts of individual campaigners. Thanks to all of you who contacted your MP or tweeted a Peer. DLA and PIP will be debated next week in the Lords and we will again be asking campaigners to “Tweet to Defeat.”

Tweet to Defeat

The Hardest Hit — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:59:09 +0000

Members of the House of Lords will vote next Wednesday (11th January) on whether 700,000 ill and disabled will see a crucial work benefit cut after receiving it for just twelve months.

Please tweet a peer the following message:

Please protect the #HardestHit & vote on Jan 11 for Welfare Reform Bill Clause 51 amends to help ill & disabled people.

Hardest Hit Christmas Card Photos

The Hardest Hit — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:46:03 +0000

Photos of the giant Hardest Hit Christmas Card.

First we gathered outside the Houses of Parliament to sing some “alternative” Christmas carols. We then moved the giant card to the Department of Work and Pensions offices at Caxton House. We had prepared a smaller card to give to Ian Duncan Smith (The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) but staff there refused to accept it! Finally we travelled to Number 10 Downing St where we delivered a box containing all of your signatures and messages from the card.

Update: Staff at the Department of Work and Pensions have apologised for yesterday, saying there had been a “mix-up” about the card and they would accept it. We are now arranging to formally present it to them again.

Merry Christmas, from the Hardest Hit

The Hardest Hit — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:12:19 +0000

Today, we delivered the giant Hardest Hit Christmas card signed by almost 25,000 disabled people, their families and friends to the government grinches – David Cameron and Nick Clegg – calling for a fair benefits system.

We let the government know that people with disabilities and long-term conditions are not asking for gifts, but simply want their basic rights protected and the support to enable them to live independently and with dignity.

The response has been amazing, but there’s still more to do to ensure that disabled people have a new year to look forward to.

What can I do?

Even if you’ve only got a few minutes to spare you can still take action to ensure that we continue to make an impact.

1. Send your MP a Christmas card from the Hardest Hit and enclose a message to make them aware of how the proposed reforms to the benefit system will impact upon you and your family.

You could save the image, and email it to your MP, or print it off and then use this tool to find your MP’s postal address.

Click here to download a copy of the card!

2. Visit your MP at their constituency surgery so you can deliver the card to them in person, and tell about your concerns. Here’s a handy guide with some great tips for visiting your MP.

3. Write to your local paper to explain to others in your local community what proposed changes will mean for you.

What’s your Christmas message to the Government?

The Hardest Hit — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:25:16 +0000

The Hardest Hit are planning to send a giant Christmas card to the Government to let them know that we are not asking for gifts, but we do want our basic rights protected and the support to enable us to live independently and with dignity.

You can sign the card and leave your message by following the link below:

Sign the card!