News

6 August 2009

An astonishing 5,254 people have signed up to our No More Benefits Cuts campaign in the first 24 hours since it went live.

The campaign aims to shame politicians into dropping proposals in the care green paper to abolish DLA and AA and hand the cash over to local social services to administer instead.

Already, all over the country claimants and their supporters have begun to raise opposition to the planned cuts.  We’ve received literally hundreds of emails from people who have posted on forums, contacted everyone in their address book, emailed their MP and written to the local press.

A number of people have contacted us to report with disgust that the No 10 petition website is closed to new petitions until 7 September, when Gordon Brown comes back to work.  Nonetheless, we’ve even heard from people who are starting their petitions locally.

Disability charities are also beginning to get the message.  A notice has been posted on Disability Alliance’s website headed ‘Disability Alliance supports DLA/AA’

The notice explains that:

“Disability Alliance has been contacted in the last few days by people who believe that we favour attendance allowance (AA) being integrated into Local Authority care service budgets. This is incorrect.”

It goes on to explain that:

“We believe placing either or both of these funds in the pool for Local Authority distribution could cut support and restrict choice and control for many disabled people.”

It’s not too late to join thousands of others in defending these desperately important benefits – and in making sure that other disability charities join the fight too. 

Over the coming months we’ll be sending out an email each week asking those who sign up to our campaign do one thing in relation to the campaign.  It might be writing to your MP, submitting a response the green paper, contacting a local disability group and so on.

The emails will be sent out each Tuesday morning with the first one being sent out on Tuesday 11 August.

So sign up now and help safeguard your future.