Promoting choice, control and independence
for disabled people in Sheffield
Blog Archive
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Emergency Changes To Disability Benefits 'Needed'
07 April 2020
The Disability Benefits Consortium has written an open letter to Therese Coffey, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to call for emergency changes to the benefits system to ensure disabled people are protected from further physical and financial harm during the Covid-19 crisis. The Consortium has separately recommended that the DWP should engage more with disabled people in formulating policies and processes which affect them.
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Twelve disabled people die every day waiting for benefit decisions
23 January 2019
Campaigning journalist Steve Topple has reported that over 21,000 sick and disabled people died between April 2013 and 2018 while waiting for a decision about their benefit claim. The figures were published by DWP Minister Sarah Newton in response to a question by Labour MP Madeleine Moon and questions are being asked about the figures’revelations.
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DWP to pay out £970 million in ESA underpayments
01 November 2018
The DWP has begun the process of reviewing Employment Support Allowance cases to identify those that could be affected and pay arrears. Disability Rights UK Deputy CEO Sue Bott said, “the DWP has spent five years trying to hide behind constructing a legal argument as to why they shouldn’t pay up despite the hardship they have caused to tens of thousands of disabled people. We urge the DWP to urgently ensure all underpayments are rectified as soon as possible. Enough is enough.”
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Universal Credit Information Sheet
17 October 2018
Sheffield City Council has launched a new information sheet designed to help people find out and apply for Universal Credit, which is being rolled out across the city from next month for new claimants and anyone reporting a change in their circumstances. The controversial benefit, which only affects working age people, will eventually replace six existing benefits – Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit and Income Support.
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DWP Easy Read Report about ESA and PIP Assessments
14 May 2018
The Department for Work and Pensions has published an Easy Read version of the government’s reply to the House of Commons Committee of MPs who have been looking into how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are assessed. Documents written in an Easy Read format are written in a way that makes them more accessible to people with learning disabilities.
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Underpayment of Disability Benefits due to Government Error
22 March 2018
The National Audit Office has revealed in a report this week that staff at the Department for Work and Pensions have made errors resulting in around 70,000 disability benefits claimants not receiving their full entitlement, between 2011 and 2014 during a government overhaul of incapacity benefits when claimants were transferred from older benefits on to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
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DWP reports 'empathy' approach works better than sanctions 'stick'
10 August 2017
DWP reports evaluating the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) additional support trials which took place in 2015,conclude that more support for disabled people into work achieves better results in moving ESA claimants towards the labour market.
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Farewell to Kathryn
06 June 2017
It’s with pride tinged with sadness that we’ve said our goodbyes to our fantastic development worker, Kathryn Littlewood, who many of you will know and love! Kathryn has successfully applied for a secondment opportunity with the Department for Works and Pensions which started this week.
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