Statement from Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) Cymru and appeal for signatures on our open letter
The Cardiff disability cuts consultation on the 3rd was always going to be unfair, with half the proposals, the most important half, completely off the table for discussion.
Less than two days after the venue was announced, with only one working day left before the event, it has now been cancelled.
This was the only face-to-face consultation event for the whole of Wales. The DWP have stated that they will be arranging an online-only consultation at the end of June, instead. This is not acceptable. It is possible that MPs will already have voted by then.
We demand that any house of commons vote on the proposals must not go ahead until we have had a full and genuine public consultation in Wales.
Given the government’s failure to listen to disabled people, and the DWP’s demonstrated inability to arrange a genuine consultation, any consultation must be run independently by Welsh disabled people’s organisations, also inviting the views of carers. The DWP must attend as observers.
DPAC Cymru have issued an open letter to support these demands and are appealing for signatures from MPs, Assembly Members, and supporters: http://bit.ly/43B5hUy
We are sticking with our plans to meet outside the front of Cardiff Central train station at noon on the 3rd for a protest. We invite everyone to join us and have their say as we hold our own “open-air” consultation.
We demand that the DWP notetakers turn up to hear directly from disabled people and carers. Trade union stewards will ensure a safe event. Updated plans for the day are available on our LinkTree: LinkTr.ee/SwanseaDPAC
The DWP has claimed that the venue cancelled the meeting at the last minute. We are not surprised that private venues do not want to be seen hosting a toxic consultation on proposals to take more than £5bn away from disabled people. We will be submitting a FOI to see exactly just how much taxpayer money the DWP is spending in an attempt to bribe hotels into hosting their sham consultations.
However, we believe the real reason for the cancellation is that the DWP’s arrangements for the consultation were so blatantly poor as to be unlawful disability discrimination.
Scandalously, the booked venue was only revealed last minute. This was despite disabled people asking multiple times, over weeks, for information so that we could plan our journeys, accommodation, and access requirements. The venue was far out of the center of Cardiff, and is completely inaccessible for many disabled people, especially at such short notice. It would have meant a wheelchair user travelling 1.6 miles unassisted. People at other DWP consultations in England have had similar poor experiences. We can only assume the DWP do not want disabled people to have their say.
Despite this, our members, many of whom had tickets, were still prepared to travel from across Wales to attend as ticket holders, or to protest outside to support us, and insist on a fair hearing for disabled people and carers. We thank Cardiff Trades Council for organising, at very short notice, a complex plan of action involving trade union stewarding to keep us safe and assist with transport, so that as many disabled people as possible could take part.
If the DWP cannot be trusted to organise a simple meeting with disabled people, how the hell can they be trusted to reform the welfare system in a way that supports us? Our attempt, at very short notice, to ensure a safe and accessible consultation intervention for disabled protestors and ticket holders must put the DWP to shame.
The proposals are fatally flawed, and the “pathways to work” green paper must be retracted.
The government must start again on welfare reform, listening to disabled people and carers in a genuine process of co-production. It cannot be an excuse for short-term budget cuts.
We demand a fair public debate.
Following upsetting and ignorant comments on disability from Labour MPs and ministers, Swansea Disabled People Against Cuts previously challenged our MPs to a fair and respectful public debate on the disability cuts. We were supported in an open letter signed by more than 250 individuals and organisations, including a national Labour-affiliated trade union, the TSSA.
The Swansea West MP, Torsten Bell, who defended the disability cuts on BBC Newsnight, has refused to debate with us. His excuse was that a public consultation is taking place. Now that there is no public consultation taking place for the whole of Wales, Torsten must stop dodging and must finally accept our invitation to debate his policies with Disabled People Against Cuts. We have written to him once again to name the date for a fair and respectful public debate.
#DPAC #DontTakeThePIP #CONsultaSHAM
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Notes
Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) Cymru is a group of disabled people from across Wales. It is made up of Swansea DPAC, Cardiff and Valleys DPAC, and individual members in West, North, and Mid Wales. We are affiliated to Disabled People Against Cuts nationally.
For Wales press enquiries, please contact: Ben Golightly (07410303652; golightly.ben@googlemail.com), Swansea DPAC swanseadpac@gmail.com, and DPAC Cardiff & Valleys dpaccardiffandvalleys@gmail.com.
For UK enquiries, contact mail@dpac.uk.net
Our recent public letter to Torsten Bell is reproduced below.
Dear Torsten – invitation to public debate with Disabled People Against Cuts
30 May 2025
Dear Torsten Bell MP,
As you are aware, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) members in Swansea have repeatedly invited you to publicly debate with us on the issue of disability benefit cuts, which you have defended on Newsnight.
The only face-to-face consultation for the whole of Wales has now been cancelled, after blatant and unlawful disability discrimination by the DWP in arranging such an inaccessible venue at the last minute.
At 6pm on Friday 25 April, responding to our request for a debate, and after press attention over your lack of reply, you told us that you “have to politely decline given the Department is carrying out a public consultation with public events on this issue.”
Given your stated reason for declining, and given (according to the DWP) that there will now be no Wales in-person consultation, Swansea DPAC expect you to now “politely accept” our invitation, as supported in an open letter signed by more than 250 individuals and organisations, including a national Labour-affiliated trade union. (bit.ly/swansea-dpac-debate-invite)
We would ensure that the debate is carried out fairly, respectfully, and in an orderly fashion. Please let us know when you are available and we will book a venue.
We also seek a public retraction and apology for your repeated public accusations of dishonesty against Swansea Disabled People Against Cuts. We robustly defend claims we have made about your language and refusal to engage with us as asked. Given your accusations, we are putting this letter on the record, copying to journalists, and we will publish any reply, so that the public can judge.
Kind regards,
Swansea Disabled People Against Cuts
