Tag: aniversary

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Cruel Universal Credit Sanction Rates Continue To Increase


It’s no surprise that the DWP (Department Of Work And Pensions) is continuing to punish universal credit (UC) claimants with their harsh sanction regime afterall it’s their favorite and easiest method of punishment that they use.



The latest official figures show that sanctions rate had remained to above 7% from August through to November of 2023 which are the most recent months of which figures are available.

However in in March 2020, just before the pandemic began, UC sanctions rates were at just 2.5% having fallen steadily since January 2017.

The DWP have unsurprisingly given no explanation for this almost threefold increase in sanctions.

I mean how on earth could this happen?

Sanctions are imposed for various reasons but the most common are for failing to attend or take part in mandatory interviews, indeed 95% are given for this reason.

What we do know from past experience is that sanctions are given for wrongful reasons.

These reasons vary but are often and not excluding others claimant not receiving notification of having to attend a meeting,  being ill and notifying the DWP that they were not able to attend or already working at the time given and their employer won’t allow them to leave for their DWP appointment.

We know that sanctions can and should be appealed however many aren’t aware that they can do so and have the energy to fight it.

Sanctions are particularly cruel because not only does the claimant get sanctioned it also affects any dependants that live with them.

Combine this with the cruel benefit caps and this with the three child limit which directly impacts a child’s health and well being.

Are incentives being given for Job Coaches to refer people for sanctions?

I can’t say for sure but we do know that they’ve been using these methods for years now and it’d be very out of character to stop doing this.

I do know that sanctioning people like this is cruel, inhumane and needs to be stopped now before more people fall victim to the DWPs cruel regime of punishment and blame.

Ashton Under lyne, baby, benefit repayments,, benefit sanctions, Black Isle Media, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, child poverty, confidence, conservative government, Cookery, coronavirus, cost of living, covid 19, Decision maker, dignity pre paid funerals,, disability, DLA, domestic violence, domestic violence,, DPAC, DWP blog,, dwp debt, Elderly, energy poverty,, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, food poverty, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, funeral plans,, G4S, government, Green Party, high street retail, Homeless Manchester, Homeless women, homelessness, homelessness,, Housing, hunger, Hygiene Poverty,, International Women's Day, Ireland budget 2024, Ireland,, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, liz truss, Manchester, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, NHS, NHS dentist, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, PIP claim, poverty, pre paid funeral plans,, pre paid funerals,, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, prime minister, public transport, republic Ireland Budget, Republic Ireland budget 2023, republic Ireland Budget 2024, Republic of Ireland,, rishi sunak,, safe hands,, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, Television Licence, Television Licence fines, Teresa May, The Big Issue, The Labour Party, The Poor Side Of Life, Theresa May, trade union movement, Uncategorized, Universal credit, wilkos, womens rights, Workfare, Workprogramme, young people

Jobcentres Told To Stop Referring Claimants To Food banks


Jobcentres have given claimants referrals  food banks for many years and on the whole it’s worked quite well. It’s helped possibly millions of people throughout the years.

This referral comes in the form of a referral slip which contains some personal details about the claimants for example if they have children and any other essential details.

Some food banks will only accept people if they’ve been referred by outside organisations such as the DWP, social services and so on.

For no apparent reason the DWP aren’t happy with handing out food bank referrals stating that it’s and have decided that it’s now an  “inappropriate use of personal claimant data” and referrals need to be stopped.

Thousands of claimants rely upon these referrals and often request them when they’ve had their benefits sanctioned or are  waiting weeks for their first benefit payment, they’ve literally kept people alive as they are unable to buy food.

The DWP have decided that claimants now have to approach another agency, such as their doctor, housing association, social worker to obtain a food bank referral.

This then automatically puts another barrier to receiving much needed food from a food bank.



I dont for one minute believe the DWP’s data protection argument is valid,  after all they don’t have a problem with sharing claimants details to other organisations and agencies that work alongside them. Nor do they respect a claimants privacy when they’re looking up a claimants details and activities on social media etc.

That’s apparently ok.

Contrary to the DWPS depiction of  claimants they are intelligent enough to read the contents of the slip and realise that they will be handing over their personal details. to food banks, it’s ridiculous to think otherwise.

However the real reason that the DWP don’t want food banks to be able to publish their statistics showing that massive amounts of claimants are being forced to access food banks 

This is as a direct  result of the benefits system completely failing claimants and pushing them further into poverty.

Unbelievable aren’t they willing to put a claimants basic human rights at risk  in order to save themselves and hide essential details.

Their benefits systems were created to make people suffer afterall how dare they ask for help.

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DWP Intent On Creating Own Anti-fraud Police Force

As we know the DWP are pushing a bill which will give them access to approximately nine million claimants bank accounts through parliament.

They are already pushing for additional powers of arrest, search and seizure additional to having access to bank accounts and it’s a scary thought.

If they are successful with their aims the DWP will therefore have its own anti-fraud police force. With this they could also be able to impose huge fines without going to court.

This is extremely worrying considering if they are successful they won’t have any real accountability by anyone but themselves and we know what that means.

By default the accountability given to their actions will be very low if any at all. Yes they make claimants follow their rules when they often don’t follow them themselves.


Whilst this  legislation hasn’t been given to  the DWP yet it’s vital to be aware that this could happen and to prepare for it if it happens.

Keeping good records of everything that you do and have done. Double check everything and keep everything safe.

Please note this hasn’t happened yet so don’t worry and I will be sharing more about this and what you can do as and when more information comes out.such immense powers does appear,

Please don’t panic this hasn’t happened yet and it might not go through parliament yet and I’ll keep you updated.

To be forewarned is to be forewarned.

Keep safe and warm and  love to everyone

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Ashton Under lyne, baby, benefit repayments,, benefit sanctions, Black Isle Media, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, child poverty, confidence, conservative government, Cookery, coronavirus, cost of living, covid 19, Damien Green, Decision maker, dignity pre paid funerals,, disability, DLA, domestic violence, domestic violence,, DPAC, DWP blog,, dwp debt, Elderly, energy poverty,, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, food poverty, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, funeral plans,, G4S, government, Green Party, high street retail, Homeless Manchester, Homeless women, homelessness, homelessness,, Housing, hunger, Hygiene Poverty,, International Women's Day, Ireland budget 2024, Ireland,, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, liz truss, Manchester, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, NHS, NHS dentist, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, PIP claim, poverty, pre paid funeral plans,, pre paid funerals,, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, prime minister, public transport, Republic Ireland budget 2023, republic Ireland Budget 2024, Republic of Ireland,, rishi sunak,, safe hands,, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, Television Licence, Television Licence fines, Teresa May, The Big Issue, The Labour Party, The Poor Side Of Life, Theresa May, trade union movement, Uncategorized, Universal credit, wilkos, womens rights, Workfare, Workprogramme, young people

DWP To Spend Estimated £30 Million To Investigate Benefit Fraud

It comes as no surprise that the DWP has announced that they will spend approximately £30 million a year for them to investigate supposed benefit fraud. This apparently will be identified by their new system. It is also estimated that they will save £500 million a year through as a result of this.

The DWP have also estimated that over the first ten years their new surveillance powers which will potentially result in 74,000 prosecution cases and 2,500 custodial sentences.

As we all know the DWP intend to use their new powers much more widely and as a tool to financially attack innocent social security claimants.

The impact assessment for the new powers states:

“The power is not limited to a specific type of data or type of institution/Third-Party to allow us to fight new fraud and error issues as they emerge and engage with new institutions as efficient opportunities become available to us.”

Also:

“This measure is drafted broadly . . . to enable DWP to apply this measure to non-financial organisations in future if it is deemed appropriate and proportionate”

However the DWPs new surveillance powers appears to have been welcomed in parliament having gained cross party support.

Sadly only 51 MPs voted against the amendment, with 30 of those being SNP and just 7 each from Labour and the Lib Dems.
This is so frustrating because anyone with any experience of the DWP and their operations will know that they will use their new powers for nefarious reasons. They won’t use them fairly and will use them to target already financially vulnerable people.

It angers me even more that hardly anyone in parliament are concerned about their well-being. Of course Tory MPs would vote for it because it will ‘save’ the government money resulting in more money for them and their friends.

However they fail to remember that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act was introduced to combat terrorism and organised crime but in reality was used to spy on people dropping litter, dog walkers not cleaning up after their dogs and so the list continues

In my opinion it was used very unfairly and for the wrong reasons. Will the same thing happen when the DWP introduces their new powers?

You can bet they will, I can imagine the DWP are already rubbing their hands with glee. Any excuse to intimidate social security claimants.

However in reality capital and abroad fraud account for less than 15% of benefits fraud and error, yes less than 15%.

Of course the DWP will use this as an excuse to unfairly delve into all aspects of claimants lives in order to identify the other innocent 85%.

This is extremely worrying because social security claimants shouldn’t have their privacy and confidentiality taken away as a default for claiming benefits.

Of course the government has no intention of investigating their pals in high places for their blatant fraudulent behaviour and lies. This is exactly why the government is losing money, not a few hundred quid but millions of pounds.

It deeply sickens me that the DWP will be given these powers which will undoubtedly be used to intimidate and harass vulnerable people.

Also knowing that they’ve got hardly anyone in parliament that will stand up and fight against such measures.

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Keep safe and warm if you can, the recent storms have been very worrying especially for those without a home to live in and everyone that can’t afford to heat their homes.

A huge thanks to everyone that reads and has supported my blog for all these years it means the world to me.

If you like my work and would like to contribute towards it there’s a few PayPal donation buttons on this blog page.

Thank you x

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Goodbye Christine

I’m so sorry to have to tell you that our good friend and comrade Christine Clarke passed away earlier this week.

Christine was a huge supporter of my blog and our campaign and was a constant support not only to me but to others.

She had a very kind heart and was a long time protector of our planet having been a long term member of the green party. Christine was also a campaigner at Greenham Common and other campaigns.

Her kindness knew no bounds and this radiated to others always there to comfort people especially at Ashton Under Lyne Jobcentre demos. Always there to help and advise others in their time of need.

Christine, you will be sadly missed by so many thanks for the memories and good times. I shall miss you dearly.

My photo that was taken on one of our Universal Credit demonstrations.

Ashton Under lyne, baby, benefit repayments,, benefit sanctions, Black Isle Media, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, child poverty, confidence, conservative government, Cookery, coronavirus, cost of living, covid 19, Damien Green, Decision maker, dignity pre paid funerals,, disability, DLA, domestic violence, domestic violence,, DPAC, DWP blog,, dwp debt, Elderly, energy poverty,, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, food poverty, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, funeral plans,, G4S, government, Green Party, high street retail, Homeless Manchester, Homeless women, homelessness, homelessness,, Housing, hunger, Hygiene Poverty,, International Women's Day, Ireland budget 2024, Ireland,, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, liz truss, Manchester, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, NHS, NHS dentist, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, PIP claim, poverty, pre paid funeral plans,, pre paid funerals,, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, prime minister, public transport, republic Ireland Budget, Republic Ireland budget 2023, republic Ireland Budget 2024, Republic of Ireland,, rishi sunak,, safe hands,, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, Television Licence, Television Licence fines, Teresa May, The Big Issue, The Labour Party, The Poor Side Of Life, Theresa May, trade union movement, Uncategorized, Universal credit, wilkos, womens rights, Workfare, Workprogramme, young people

DWP Work Coach Shortage Unable To Cope With Increasing Unemployment. Safestyle Goes Into Administration.



The PCS union that represents DWP workers have recently warned that there’s a “staffing chaos” at the DWP, with work coach roles being particularly affected. Meanwhile the government apparently seeks to hire thousands of new staff despite having just made hundreds of workers redundant.

As a result of this unmitigated staffing chaos, additional “support measures” are supposedly being put in place in Jobcentres to manage the workload of work coaches.


The support measures include reducing the frequency of work coach contact with some claimants from fortnightly to monthly and shortening some meetings from 50 minutes to 30 minutes.

This will be welcomed by claimants that might have to travel quite a distance to their nearest Jobcentre.

However here’s the kickback which effectively wipes out any supposed help offered. The Chancellor has announced an end to civil service expansion, with an immediate cap on the civil service headcount, with a view to reducing it to pre-pandemic levels.

Go figure, it’s a disaster something that the government is very familiar with. They’ve proven time and time again that they’re incapable of managing anything with efficiently.

With the DWP failing to manage its current workload with no let up in the foreseeable future, the very idea that tens of thousands of additional claimants can be removed from the LCWRA group and given effective support to help them into work is rubbish, a bare faced lie that they will be reminded of in the future.

Basically it’s very clear to see  that the sole purpose of making the WCA much harsher is to save money and not to help claimants.

Think about it, they don’t care about claimants especially disabled ones that are already in an extremely vulnerable position.

Let’s take for example, approximately 680 staff have recently been made redundant by the window and door manufacturer and seller Safestyle.

The business has gone into administration with no warning to its employees and the GMB union  expects up to 600 job losses.


However on Monday, administrators Interpath Advisory said the number of redundancies was about 680.

Sadly only 70 of the roughly 750 staff have been retained.


Appallingly saff were unexpectedly texted to “down tools” on Friday evening and received news of the appointment of administrators on Monday in the car park of the company’s headquarters in Bradford, GMB said.

They’ve been made redundant with immediate effect and told they won’t get another penny from the company.”

GMB organiser Bob McNeill added: “Bosses didn’t even have the decency to let them into the building out of the pouring rain”

This will result in at least another 680 people being made unemployed due to no fault of their own. As pointed out above they aren’t going to receive any more payment from the company.

This is another 680 people that will put increased pressure on an already failing system that can’t cope with the demand.

It’s clear to see that despite the government’s denial, the UK is going through a recession which combined with the cost of living and energy cost crisis is very concerning for everyone that owns a business, big or small.

Every day more companies and small local businesses are forced to shut their doors which will also put even more pressure on the DWP system.

It’s a disaster, heartbreaking for everyone affected but the government is doing what they do best, causing chaos and even more suffering for the poorest and most vulnerable.

They need to go as soon as possible. I fear that they aim to cause as much chaos and confusion as they can before being forced to leave number 10.

The damage they’ve done to this country is irreparable, it’s hard to come back from this if not impossible.

https://gofund.me/abea8764

Ashton Under lyne, baby, benefit repayments,, benefit sanctions, Black Isle Media, Boris Johnson, child poverty, conservative government, cost of living, covid 19, Decision maker, dignity pre paid funerals,, disability, DLA, domestic violence, DPAC, DWP blog,, dwp debt, Elderly, energy poverty,, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, food poverty, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, funeral plans,, G4S, government, high street retail, Homeless Manchester, Homeless women, homelessness, Housing, hunger, Hygiene Poverty,, International Women's Day, Ireland,, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, liz truss, Manchester, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, NHS, NHS dentist, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, PIP claim, poverty, pre paid funeral plans,, pre paid funerals,, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, prime minister, public transport, Republic Ireland budget 2023, Republic of Ireland,, rishi sunak,, safe hands,, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, Television Licence fines, Teresa May, The Big Issue, The Labour Party, The Poor Side Of Life, Theresa May, trade union movement, Uncategorized, Universal credit, wilkos, womens rights, Workfare, Workprogramme, young people

Nine Year Anniversary For My Blog!

Hiya I know times are really awful for us all at the moment but I just wanted to pop on here to thank you all for your help and support over the past 9 years.

I never expected to be blogging for as long as I have been although at the time of creating this blog I knew it was going to become a whole lot worse.

Truth be told I had already been protesting and campaigning for a while when a friend of mine suggested that I should write a blog about my experiences.

I remember saying to him that I didn’t expect anyone to read it and I’d give it a month and then stop.

I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried. It immediately got read and shared and the media started to read it.

Back then matters such as I write about weren’t being discussed by many, it was like speaking to a brick wall. They did however have a good interest in the blog and matters started to be discussed in newspapers and the media online and offline.

I’m not saying that I was totally responsible for this because I wasn’t, it’s down to the hard work of DPAC, Black Triangle and other groups as well. They’ve worked extremely hard and deserve credit for what they’ve done.

At first I was called a liar, an extremist and I shouldn’t be listened to. They tried everything to try and get rid of me from weekly visits, sometimes 3 in two hours from the local police trying to move us from outside the Job Centre.

Luckily we know where we stood in regard to the law and we didn’t move.

They even criticised my appearance, that was rather boring.

I can’t say it’s been easy, far from it but I know that myself and others have helped hundreds of people and this blog has done and still continues to raise awareness.

A massive thank you to everyone that has and does support my blog and everyone that reads and shares it.

So what’s the future for this blog?

I’d like to be able to continue blogging for as long as possible, it’s my baby and I don’t want to see me ending it.

Personally I’ve gone through a lot over the past few years and I don’t want to dwell on it but I’d like to thank you for being there for me when I needed it.

Carrying on blogging is hard though, I can’t afford to pay my broadband bill and I don’t have credit on my phone either. Not unlike many of you reading this.

I haven’t got a clue how I will continue but I shall find a way.

Remember there’s more of us than there is of them, they know this that’s why they’re so bloody scared of us.

Keep holding them to account is extremely important.

And don’t let the bastards grind you down.

Thank you for everything!

Charlotte xxx

Ashton Under lyne, baby, benefit repayments,, benefit sanctions, Black Isle Media, Boris Johnson, child poverty, conservative government, cost of living, covid 19, Decision maker, dignity pre paid funerals,, disability, DLA, domestic violence, DPAC, DWP blog,, dwp debt, Elderly, energy poverty,, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, food poverty, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, funeral plans,, G4S, government, high street retail, Homeless Manchester, Homeless women, homelessness, Housing, hunger, Hygiene Poverty,, International Women's Day, Ireland,, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, liz truss, Manchester, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, NHS, NHS dentist, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, PIP claim, poverty, pre paid funeral plans,, pre paid funerals,, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, prime minister, public transport, Republic Ireland budget 2023, Republic of Ireland,, rishi sunak,, safe hands,, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, Television Licence fines, Teresa May, The Big Issue, The Labour Party, The Poor Side Of Life, Theresa May, trade union movement, Uncategorized, Universal credit, wilkos, womens rights, Workfare, Workprogramme, young people

Nine Year Anniversary For My Blog!

Hiya I know times are really awful for us all at the moment but I just wanted to pop on here to thank you all for your help and support over the past 9 years.

I never expected to be blogging for as long as I have been although at the time of creating this blog I knew it was going to become a whole lot worse.

Truth be told I had already been protesting and campaigning for a while when a friend of mine suggested that I should write a blog about my experiences.

I remember saying to him that I didn’t expect anyone to read it and I’d give it a month and then stop.

I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried. It immediately got read and shared and the media started to read it.

Back then matters such as I write about weren’t being discussed by many, it was like speaking to a brick wall. They did however have a good interest in the blog and matters started to be discussed in newspapers and the media online and offline.

I’m not saying that I was totally responsible for this because I wasn’t, it’s down to the hard work of DPAC, Black Triangle and other groups as well. They’ve worked extremely hard and deserve credit for what they’ve done.

At first I was called a liar, an extremist and I shouldn’t be listened to. They tried everything to try and get rid of me from weekly visits, sometimes 3 in two hours from the local police trying to move us from outside the Job Centre.

Luckily we know where we stood in regard to the law and we didn’t move.

They even criticised my appearance, that was rather boring.

I can’t say it’s been easy, far from it but I know that myself and others have helped hundreds of people and this blog has done and still continues to raise awareness.

A massive thank you to everyone that has and does support my blog and everyone that reads and shares it.

So what’s the future for this blog?

I’d like to be able to continue blogging for as long as possible, it’s my baby and I don’t want to see me ending it.

Personally I’ve gone through a lot over the past few years and I don’t want to dwell on it but I’d like to thank you for being there for me when I needed it.

Carrying on blogging is hard though, I can’t afford to pay my broadband bill and I don’t have credit on my phone either. Not unlike many of you reading this.

I haven’t got a clue how I will continue but I shall find a way.

Remember there’s more of us than there is of them, they know this that’s why they’re so bloody scared of us.

Keep holding them to account is extremely important.

And don’t let the bastards grind you down.

Thank you for everything!

Charlotte xxx

Ashton Under lyne, baby, benefit repayments,, benefit sanctions, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, child poverty, confidence, conservative government, Cookery, coronavirus, cost of living, covid 19, Damien Green, Decision maker, dignity pre paid funerals,, disability, DLA, domestic violence, domestic violence,, DPAC, DWP blog,, dwp debt, Elderly, energy poverty,, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, food poverty, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, funeral plans,, G4S, government, Homeless Manchester, Homeless women, homelessness, homelessness,, Housing, hunger, Hygiene Poverty,, International Women's Day, Ireland,, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, liz truss, Manchester, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, NHS, NHS dentist, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, PIP claim, poverty, pre paid funeral plans,, pre paid funerals,, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, prime minister, public transport, Republic Ireland budget 2023, Republic of Ireland,, rishi sunak,, safe hands,, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, Television Licence, Television Licence fines, Teresa May, The Big Issue, The Labour Party, The Poor Side Of Life, Theresa May, trade union movement, Uncategorized, Universal credit, womens rights, Workfare, Workprogramme, young people

PIP Telephone Chaos Set To Continue Until End Of Summer

It appears that a lot of people have been contacting their MPs to raise their concerns about not being able to get their calls to the PIP enquiry line.

As a result of taking action like this an increasing number of questions from MPs to ministers about problems with the line.

Bravo everyone!

One of the questions recently asked was from Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, this then resulted in Tom Pursglove, minister for disabled people who actually actually admit that the waiting times for PIP and ESA enquiry lines have been too long.

Who’d have thought this… We’ve known this for a long time but ministers and MPs had previously been ignored.

This in my opinion is a result of the action that you’ve taken, well done everyone.



However Pursglove claimed that ESA call waiting times have begun to improve. He went on to say that the delays and chaos is set to continue until the end of the summer.

Keep in mind that the proposed 600 new staff to be employed by the DWP could well have no medical training at all which if not will cause distress and harm.

If this is the case we will have to continue to campaign for fair treatment and understanding for all disabled and ill people.

The blatant discrimination which is constantly metered towards disabled and ill people is in my eyes horrific. No one should be treated like this let alone vulnerable disabled people.

It’s vitally important to continue to contact your local MPs it can make a huge difference.

It’s vitally important that we continue campaigning against this though, it raises awareness and can in some cases result in change.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

Huge thanks go to the team over at Benefits and Work for their hard work for original reporting of this.

Thanks goes to everyone that reads and shares my articles it raises much needed awareness.

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If you like my work, can afford to and would like to contribute towards keeping my blog going there’s a donate button at the top and side of this blog post.

Currently I’m trying to obtain photo ID and it’s impossibly expensive.

Ashton Under lyne, benefit repayments,, benefit sanctions, Black Isle Media, Boris Johnson, child poverty, conservative government, cost of living, covid 19, Damien Green, Decision maker, DPAC, DWP blog,, dwp debt, Elderly, energy poverty,, ESA, Food, Food bank, food poverty, fuel poverty, government, homelessness, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, Manchester, Mandatory reconsideration, NHS, NHS dentist, PIP, PIP claim, poverty, prepaid energy, rishi sunak,, sanctions, suicide, targets, Tax credits, The Big Issue, The Labour Party, The Poor Side Of Life, trade union movement, Uncategorized, Universal credit, Workfare, Workprogramme, young people

Almost Half Million PIP Helpline Calls Deliberately Disconnected In April

Almost half a million PIP ( Personal Independence Payments) deliberately disconnected by the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) in April revealed in freedom of information request by Benefits And Work

Most of these callers were disconnected before they were able to wait in a call queue.

Benefits and Work submitted a freedom of information request asking the DWP to reveal the amount of calls made to the PIP Enquiry Line that were cut-off before being placed in the queue and those that were in the queue but didn’t manage to connect with an operative.

The DWP then answered providing the following statistics:

February

Calls put in queue 415,552

Calls blocked 34,860

March

Calls put in queue 488,965

Calls blocked 306,865

April

Calls put in queue 388,265

Calls blocked 494,044

It’s worth remembering that even though they might have managed to get a spot in the queue this doesn’t guarantee that their calls will be connected to an operative.

Thousands of calls also get disconnected when placed into the queue. that just because you get into the queue.

Of course the DWP aren’t addressing these problems, I personally think that the could be deliberate because many callers will give up and try to manage without their PIP payments.

I cannot stress enough how dangerous this is for already vulnerable people claiming PIP, they need their payments so they can manage from day to day.

How will they manage without their payments or without the answers they required upon phoning the hotline?

I strongly suspect that thousands will go without essential meals, will be unable to get out to do everyday tasks and to attend appointments etc.

These payments are essential to their well-being and treating their calls like this will also cause thousands to become distressed or worse.

The government needs to stop treating disabled people as some sort of subhuman community and not worthy of any help or assistance.

We need to fight back and challenge this blatant discrimination. Everyone is entitled to a good quality of life and this needs to stop.

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