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Hardest Hit campaign

25 January 2012

Campaign latest

Since the Welfare Reform Bill was introduced in Parliament last year, thousands have marched, tweeted Peers and visited their MPs.

And it's starting to work. Your campaigning inspired Lords to reject key government proposals on employment and support allowance (ESA) and force important concessions on the introduction of the new benefit set to replace disability living allowance (DLA).

Now it's down to MPs to vote for these changes when the Bill moves back to the Commons in the next few weeks. Their votes will determine the fate of hundreds of thousands of people who rely on disability benefits.

Can you email your MP and ask them to fight for fair benefits?

Background

The Hardest Hit campaign brings together disabled people and carers and organisations and groups who represent them and to send a message to Government -  you are hitting disabled people and their families the hardest: stop these cuts.

Disabled and ill people and their families are being hit hard by cuts to the benefits and services they rely on.

The Government’s plans to cut billions from support for disabled people and their families. Their proposals include:

• Cutting 20% from the budget for disability living allowance (DLA). Disability Alliance estimates that over 700,000 disabled people could see their benefits reduced or removed. DLA helps disabled people with the extra costs of disability and without it more disabled people would be pushed into poverty. The cuts could have a knock-on impact on Carer’s Allowance, leaving thousands of families even worse off.
• Taking mobility payments away from disabled people living in residential care and children going to residential schools. Cutting these payments would trap many in their own homes.
• Cutting off payments of contributory employment and support allowance after a year to people struggling to get back into work due to disability or serious illness.

More information

• the hardest hit website
• hardest hit rally report (11 May 2011)

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