I have copied the following article from the DPAC website, as it is important that as many people as possible get involved in this national day of action on March 1st.
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At the Spring budget on March 3rd the government are set to announce a 6 month extension to the £20 uplift to Universal Credit.
This is welcome news.
But yet again the needs of disabled people have been overlooked. The government is making a deliberate calculation that they can get away with this; while they fear a public backlash if they make the £20 cut now, they aren’t worried about a fall out over their treatment of disabled people.
And why would they be when they have got away with the grave and systematic violation of disabled people’s rights over the past decade? But we have also seen over that period how they can be pushed into making concessions when they feel enough pressure over an issue. One example of this was in March 2016 when Chancellor George Osborne was forced to make a u-turn over plans to tighten PIP eligibility for people with access to mobility aids and equipment. At that time, different campaign groups, trade unions, charities and many Parliamentarians were all united in the same demand.
We have the same situation now: whether it’s DPAC’s #20More4All campaign, the Disability Benefit Consortium’s #IncreaseDisabilityBenefits or Unite Community’s #UniveralDiscredit campaign, we are all calling for the same thing.
But we can only succeed if we ALL make an effort and do what we can however small.
We are asking all our supporters to email your MP telling them why it is important to you that the uplift is extended to legacy benefits. You can find a template letter here: https://dpac.uk.net/2021/02/email-your-mp-to-call-for-20-uplift-to-stay-be-applied-to-legacy-benefits/
Please also email a copy to us at: 20More4All@gmail.com that we can send on the both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. We want to deliver as many letters and expressions of concern on this issue as possible to before the Spring Budget on 3 March.
You can also have your say anonymously – about your experiences and what the uplift means to you but filling in this extremely quick and straightforward survey: https://forms.gle/Y5uB5Mp95oJfzgAg6 [Thanks to Sheffield DPAC and @imaJSAclaimant for producing this].
We are also looking for disabled people on legacy benefits who haven’t had the £20 uplift and are struggling to manage financially to speak to the media. If you could help us please send an outline of your situation and contact details to mail@dpac.uk.net
Please have your say. Disabled people’s voices are too often unheard. It’s time for us to show we have voices and to use them.
