Court rules mandatory reconsiderations unlawful – judicial review

Court finds that forcing a claimant to wait until a legal appeal can be lodged to be able to receive ESA again is in breach of their right to a fair trial. DLA's mandatory reconsideration, delaying such an appeal, declared illegal.

Heads should roll: Claimants cheated out of mobility benefit

Ian Franks slams shameful treatment of mental health benefits claimants, calls for an investigation, and demands that those responsible should go.

Benefits, Brexit effects, and a much-criticised knighthood – all thanks to Boris

December’s general election in the UK proved to be a resounding success for the Conservative party. It gained an overall majority of 80 seats, allowing prime minister Boris Johnson to ride roughshod over all opposition. This is a disaster. It presents all kinds of problems for the UK itself, such as government benefits for people …

Advertisement

Conservative peer calls out McVey for lying to MPs about Motability

Current work and pensions secretary Esther McVey stands accused of lying to fellow MPs about the Motability disability car scheme. In parliamentary-speak, this is called 'misleading the house'. And the accusation comes from within her own party! Lord Sterling, who was a founder of Motability in 1977, told McVey in a letter that the “litany …

Assessment denies disability benefit to woman with rare disease because she has a degree

NOTE: This post is relevant to all people with disabilities who may wish to claim PIP or ESA benefits. Read on whether your disability is a result of one of many diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's or another illness, or has another cause.   PIP assessments, and the people that carry them out, are …

Motability faces financial allegations but stands strong against its critics

Shock, horror. Motabilty Operations, part of the Motability charity, is facing allegations about its finances. The UK organisation provides cars for disabled people who receive the highest level of benefit for mobility. It is accused of having enormous cash reserves and is said to pay its chief executive an outrageous six figure salary. Extraordinary, we …

Universal credit benefit reform does not make anticipated savings

Universal credit (UC) is not going to give the UK government its much-desired savings in benefit costs, according to an official report. An Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) report says that UC will save the government less than 2% of what it would have spent on benefits if UC had not been introduced. OBR expects …

Told you are well enough to work and don’t need disability benefits

Campaigners and activists are concerned that the government’s disability employment strategy seems heavily influenced by the discredited “biopsychosocial” (BPS) model. Tabitha Jay let out the cat out of the bag. She is the civil servant who heads the UK government’s work and health unit, responsible for the disability employment strategy. According to the Disability News …

Good news about WCAs and Scotland BUT Universal Credit to roll out faster

As dust settles following UK prime minister Theresa May’s farcical conference speech, there’s mixed news for people claiming disability benefits. This includes people with MS and other diseases that cause disability. Good news is some Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) recipients will no longer face repeated work capability assessments (WCAs).    I say ‘some’ as …

Government figures prove UN’s human catastrophe verdict

Shocking new figures underline the facts behind a UN committee’s decision to describe UK welfare benefits as a human catastrophe. And the figures come from the government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Not that they were provided willingly. The MS Society forced them out by a freedom of information request. During the first three …