Too Many Cuts...come join the #Frothers and have your say

[AnyFuckerForAMincePie]

This is the 3rd thread in a series.

It is for people who are horrified, frustrated and downright sad at the erosion of human rights with respect to how this country is being run, just now and in the recent past

it is apolitical in nature, but of course due to many recent initiatives by the recent govt, there will be rants against our current "leaders"

please join in

I shall post the link to the old threads, our "Too Many Cuts #Frothers" blog that is attracting a lot of widespread attention and a little bit of what we are about in a moment

I'm in it now slug. Will take a look.

Interesting Hunty as I have a letter from Maria miller stating that we'd get reduced CD element for ds3 (the one on MR) but would not lose it, hmm.

(PS is anyone from a major charity or similar is reading this and wants to offer me a job around 20 hours or so (more after June) I am in Wales, a graduate and experienced in that sector. Cheers ;) )

Have read, it slug. It is fan-bloody-tastic. Please publish it.

I don't know if it's because it's in drafts but there are no paragraphs. Other than that it looks perfect.

grrrr - the time I spent convincing people they could be disabled and a carer (for another adult) - it came up a few times when I was an adviser - it meant they got an extra £13 carer's premium on IS back in the day. Sigh.

Drafts does take out any formatting yes.

Glossary:

Conditionality - Where you have to work for a set amount of hours, apply for any job you are told to, take any job you are offered, or do Workfare, or you will face Sanctions.

NO Conditionality - You are not expected to seek work, or face sanctions for not working enough hours or earning enough money.

Household Income - The combined earnings of both people in a couple, or the total earnings of a single person or a Lone Parent.

Earnings Disregard - an amount of earnings that you are allowed to keep before they start taking away 65%. It is totally dependent on your personal circumstances.

Support Group of ESA - A group that is for the 6% of disabled people that are classed as the most severely disabled. One of the ONLY groups of people to face NO Conditionality.

WRAG of ESA - Work Related Activity Group - A group for the quite disabled - approximately 73.5% of people that have disabilities are in this group. They get ONE YEAR to prepare to rejoin the workforce, and then they are subject to 'limited' conditionality - and can face Sanctions if they do not work for 20hrs/wk.

ESA - Employment and Support Allowance - A benefit paid to people with disabilities who are unable to work, either permanantly or for the near future.

HRC on DLA - High Rate Care - Paid to the most severely disabled recipients of DLA, also puts you in the No Conditionality group.

LRC on DLA - Low Rate Care - Paid to people that are 'quite' disabled, and can put you in the lower (20hrs/wk) conditionality group.

DLA - Disability Living Allowance - A benefit paid to people with disabilities. It is both an in-work AND out-of work benefit, paid in recognition of the extra costs that having a disability incurs.

Sanctions - Stopping payment of UC for not following certain directives. For the first Sanction, UC will be stopped for 3 months. For the second Sanction, UC will be stopped for 6 months. For the third Sanction, UC will be stopped for 3 YEARS.

HTH.

OH puleeeaaase tell me no one really believes Samantha Cameron wanted Ikea furniture.

And how I chortled at the "it's up to David to assemble the cabinet" comment, totally unscripted from a Downing Street clone.

That report Peachy linked to upthread about human rights and welfare changes is very interesting - and just in time for house of loards debate. HoL v v keen on human rights so could be a good sign to get this turned around (or at least substantially amended)

So is LRC what used to be MRC then?

The committee for eg "With regard to the housing benefit cap, the disproportionate impact of current proposals on larger households is said by the Government to be justified because it promotes fairness with similar-sized households which are just outside entitlement to benefit ? undoubtedly a legitimate aim. However, the committee is concerned about the possible disproportionate impact on some disabled people. It therefore recommends allowing additional discretion to exempt disabled people facing exceptional hardship from the benefit cap and from the provisions concerning under-occupation of social housing."

Also this: "The committee is therefore not satisfied that the Government has demonstrated reasonable justification for the negative impact of the introduction of Personal Independence Payments on the right of disabled people to independent living. The Bill should be amended to ensure that the assessment process for PIPs takes account of the various barriers experienced by disabled claimants. The committee recommends a trial period for the new assessment process and a report to Parliament on the implementation of the new testing system. However, it welcomes the Government's decision to table an amendment to the Bill to remove the provision which allows for withdrawal of the mobility component of PIP from residential care home residents."

It's also - like us largely bemoaning the lack of detail.

[[http://economicsurvivor.net/2011/12/12/westminster-workfare/ scary stuff] about workfare

Frankly there will BE no jobs for anyone soon enough; poor people will be given pittance for doing workfare, full stop.

Peachy - if HE is the one that is SE - HE will be the one who faces the sanctions for not earning 35hrs@NMW. And by that standard, it will be HIM that faces Workfare. And if he doesn't complete the Workfare (even due to MH probs), they will Sanction the UC for 3 months.

The CAB person you spoke to was wrong, I'm pretty sure - I have read a document PRODUCED by the CAB working Committee that raises this as an issue that will push families with multiple issues into poverty...

First year of UC, as far as I can see, Peachy, rather than first year of being SE. Don't quote me on that one, though...

If you are registered as a carer, Peachy, then your DH won't be able to. ONE of you HAS to be designated as the main earner. Only ONE carer allowed per household...

And Peachy - YOU will ALSO face Conditionality (thus Workfare) if the youngest dc you are caring for is over 5yo and you're not as a couple earning MORE THAN £17,389pa...

bad link sorry

This conditionality is absed on me working 20 hours right? IF I can find that work I am OK with that; it's just if.

They will not allow him off sick from workfare then? Even if signed off? And I will lose the access to HB for him being mentally ill? fabbo. How's that fair then (rhetorical question don't worry!)

slug thanks, am new to blogging, I didn't even know you could draft a post like that

I think you should put it up, just as it is (with the paragraphs obvs)

lower rate doesn't necessarily mean you are any less disabled - it can mean you need lots of help in the day but don't need help often at night for example. or that whilst you are sometimes a danger to yourself this is not 24hrs a day.

it's more about levels of help needed and hours that help is needed in rather than levels of disabledness. crazy world that we're now talking about 'levels' of disability. disabled means disabled no? oh no not anymore.

i'm sorry hunty i'm still not clear - if i were in the 20hr conditionality group but earnt my £121 in less than 20hrs would that be ok? or would i be forced to work the extra hours?

I will write a Blog post tonight, and put it up tomorrow, including the figures - but I want to do a couple of calculations for couples too, and maybe a couple for ooop North. And DS3 is not having a nap today, for some reason. . I think he KNOWS I have a lot to do...

Peachy - it's a load of CRAPOLA if you have MH probs, why do you think MIND and RETHINK are So so so against the Welfare Reform Bill??

if i was you i'd do a single parent with one child, a married couple with 2 etc so as to avoid the well she shouldn't have had more children shut off effect whereby they wont' read or take in info at all iyswim.

No it doesn't Santa you are right

Also, that only really wotks (the preparing for... bit) with people with physical SN: ds3 can't be prepared for work, he can't comprehend work. Mind why don't they try putting someone on workfare in a call centre who can't be understood and has a 3 minute attention span! Just becuase he settles well (or by 11 anyway) does not mean anything. If they put him trolley collecting I have to go too as he can't do cars either.

Thank goodness he's still only 8; plenty of time for the odd Mayan prophecy yet!

Santa - you don't have to tell ME that - I was on HRC,HRM, and went from that to, apparently, my life-long disability having disappeared to the point where i don't get even LRC now...

a lot of the reform is basically about making damn sure that people with mental health disabilities don't qualify as disabled anymore imo. it's always been notoriously hard to get dla for mental health issues and where you did manage to get it you'd only get lower rate - they're now effectively closing the lower rate which will get rid of those with MH disabilities who managed to get acknowledged as such.

Yes, been reading the mind stuff.

Even more scary.

All that will happen though is dh will set off for workfare, never arrive and habe to be brought home by police. Again.

Which is why we HAVE to get this business going, he is OK with that. And the year thing might just buy us that...