In December the Tory Government's cruel welfare policies were highlighted by the High Court which labelled its PIP (Personal Independence Payment) policy in relation to people with mental health issues "blatantly discriminatory".
To get the enhanced rate of PIP mobility payment, claimants needed to get 12 points at assessment. Yet the highest anyone could score if they could not undertake a journey due to psychological distress was ten points, meaning no-one could get the full marks, a loss of around £36 a week.
This affected 164,000 people who couldn't go out without help and, following the High Court ruling, the Government stated that it wasn't going to contest the decision and is to review all such cases, at an estimated cost of £3.7million over four years.
This victory for campaigners is just one battle won in a war against the Tories' benefit reign of terror that has seen people passed fit for work who are clearly unable to work, with deaths and suicides as the fall-out.
"The stress people go through is just horrendous; when you talk to people it's almost as if they don't have any rights" says Alec McFadden manager at the Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre (Salford UCRC) in Eccles.
"Some are so stressed during the medicals that they just want to get out, so will answer questions as they're being encouraged to" he explains "'How did you get here?...'Got the bus and walked? Fit for work!'... For some reason, they're using a lot of physiotherapists, rather than doctors or nurses, who have no knowledge of mental health, which is the big issue."
The Centre has now started a free service for benefit claimants, in partnership with Salford Disability Forum, and has trained nine people, including a retired barrister, to provide expert assistance during the assessment process for PIP and DLA, ESA and all other disability benefits.
"They will sit down with a claimant, fill in the form with them and represent them at a medical assessment" Alec McFadden explains "Many times people have made the mistake of taking family or friends but they have no status. Our representatives will be official and if someone doesn't get the right amount of points we will further represent them at a tribunal.
"Parallel to this, where we have people who are in receipt of income support and other related benefits, we will also be assisting them to apply for the severe disability premium which is another £62.45 a week. The affect this could have on Salford is a massive amount of money coming in. Anyone with mental health issues or physical issues can get in touch...Unlike the Government we don't discriminate."
This week, Labour MP Angela Eagle got figures released in Parliament showing a staggering amount of people who have scored 'zero' points in both the mobility and daily living PIP assessments...220,390 between April 2016 and October 2017. And 13,130 had their zero points assessments overturned on appeal...
"Under the Tory Government's assessment process tens of thousands of people with chronic disabilities have had their payments removed, and many with mobility problems have had their vehicles taken from them" the MP told the Morning Star "It is clear that the current system is failing people in real need and is not fit for purpose."
Last October, Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long-Bailey also got Parliament to release figures that showed that over one thousand disabled Salford people have either had their payments decreased or had claims disallowed during the move from Disability Living Allowance (DLA), to PIP.
"PIP is a step backward from DLA, it is discriminatory and being used to reduce entitlement by an unscrupulous government that is institutionally disablist" Rick Burgess from Manchester Disabled People Against The Cuts told the Salford Star (see here).
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey, is set to answer questions in Parliament next Monday on the latest Government PIP fiasco, as the Sack Esther McVey campaign gathers momentum.
In the meantime, with the oppressive Tory benefits regime raged against the disabled, the Salford UCRC initiative to help people through DWP 'processing' cannot come quick enough...
For free help and advice contact the Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre on 0161 789 2999
84-86 Liverpool Road, Eccles M30 0WZ
Open 9am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday
Email: secretary_stuc@hotmail.co.uk
www.salforducrc.co.uk/
For details of the Sack Esther McVey campaign see previous Salford Star article – click here
Main photo shows Disabled People Against The Cuts demo outside the Tory Party Conference, photo by Steven Speed
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