The Government has proposed cutting £5 billion from disability benefits, such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the health component of Universal Credit (UC).
The Government is still consulting about these changes, and there is a great deal of opposition to them in Parliament and the country. The voice of disabled people needs to be heard loud and clear about these proposed cuts.
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We encourage disabled people and their families/carers to keep in touch with their local constituency MP. There are many key issues affecting disabled people at the minute, such as the proposed benefit cuts, the changes to the NHS and social care, and, of course, the Assisted Dying Bill currently going through Parliament. It is really important that constituency MPs know how disabled people feel about these changes. Disabled people make up about a fifth of all voters in the UK, so our opinions matter.
The table below gives you the names, constituencies, and websites of MPs in and around Buckinghamshire. The button below the table will take you to the Parliament website, where you can find details of your MP if they are not listed.
If you would like any help contacting your MP, or would like BuDS to get involved in anything that matters to you, please use the contact form at the end of this page.
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The Government have published a consultation paper (a “Green Paper”) about changes to disability and sickness benefits. One of the changes proposed is to make it far more difficult to qualify for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This article explains how the Government proposes to make it more difficult to qualify, and how that might affect different groups of disabled people applying for PIP in the future.
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A third of ATOS assessment reports are not fit for purpose, according to the DWP’s own quality assurance auditors. In a sample of 1,466 PIP assessments carried out in August 2022, DWP auditors found that:
We’ve confirmed today with the DWP that there is an ongoing issue with PIP benefit payments which started on Friday 2nd December, and persists today. Many people are finding that their usual PIP payment hasn’t reached their bank account. DWP insiders are telling us that Caxton House (DWP Head Office) have ‘declared a major incident’ over non-payment of disability benefit PIP, but they still don’t know how or when it will be resolved.
We have consulted welfare rights lawyers, who confirm that disabled people receiving PIP have no legal right to be paid on any particular day and that the DWP cannot be held liable for any bank charges or other losses because a payment is delayed. The DWP have made themselves unaccountable.
If the DWP end up making two payments into your account, report it to the DWP immediately. Do not leave yourself vulnerable to DWP recovery proceedings, as they can be very ruthless. More information here.
As of 5 pm today (5 December), a lot of claimants are reporting money is arriving in their accounts. We do not know how many claimants have been affected, or how many payments are still outstanding, as the DWP is not accountable.
As of 3.30pm today (5th December), the DWP are telling claimants that about a third of PIP claimants have been affected, and that all failed payments will be paid again using Faster Payments. There has, of course, been no official confirmation from the DWP.
The Department of Work and Pension has decided to review some PIP claims made by deaf or hearing-impaired people on or after 21st of August 2020. This is due to a change in PIP law relating to washing or bathing safely. Read on for more.
Read MoreThe Government have delayed their plan to decriminalise street homelessness and rough sleeping. Read on for more.
Read MoreSince 17 March, you can’t claim statutory sick pay or Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) if you (or someone in your household) need to self-isolate because of Covid-19. Also from 17 March, statutory sick pay only starts from the 4th day after you got too ill to work. Read on for more.
Read MoreThe Upper Tribunal has made an important decision ([2022] UKUT 24 (AAC)) which underlines that ‘children and vulnerable witnesses’ have a right to special consideration when appearing before a Tribunal. This decision was taken for a benefits tribunal but also applies to other Tribunals such as mental health and SEND.
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