Tag: coved 19

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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.

Please read, share and tweet my blog this is essential to raise awareness of these very important issues that are often hidden in plain sight.

I don’t receive any payment for my work and to keep my blog going and it’s a massive struggle to keep it going.

If you can afford to and would like to donate to help me there’s a donate button at the top and side of this blog post.

Thank you x

Ashton Under lyne, baby, Black Isle Media, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, confidence, Cookery, coronavirus, covid 19, Decision maker, DLA, domestic violence, domestic violence,, DPAC, Elderly, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, G4S, government, Housing, hunger, International Women's Day, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, loose women, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, poverty, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, sanctions, 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

Long foodbank queues on Christmas Eve.

A friend of mine that volunteers at a foodbank has just sent me the below images. They asked if their anonymity is kept and of course I’m respecting this.

The photos were taken as they were arriving for their shift at the food bank. It wasn’t open for some time, but the queue was already massive, people arriving early to make sure that they’d get some food.

As you can see the queue consisted of People, all differing in their needs. What can’t be missed is the people using wheelchairs queueing for food parcels.on Christmas Eve.

Also in the queue are elderly people and families with children.

You don’t need me to tell you that this shouldn’t be happening , it’s heartbreaking.

You can always find the measure of a country by seeing how they look after the poor, young, elderly and disabled.

The conservative government is blatantly failing on this front. As a country we can’t be proud of this either.

Being proud of a country is about being proud of what it actually does right, and how it treats those in need. It’s not about waving flags and singing the national anthem.

We can however also look back on history and also be ashamed for the very same reasons. Ignoring the fact that the UK government is causing direct harm to people won’t make it go away.

Whilst the government has been focusing on ridiculous things like blue passports people are dying, thousands are becoming homeless and many are becoming ill from poverty related illnesses.

Meanwhile the public are bombarded with images of the royal family having a lovely Christmas, the people queuing at this foodbank and others won’t be able to celebrate.

Its simply not acceptable.

I messaged the volunteer that took the below images and this is what they said

It felt like a slap in the face for them too. It’s a reminder of their privilege. Because despite having their own difficulties they can sit in a warm house, with food, having just wrapped presents for their family.

They went on to say that it makes them angry and sad that this is happening, that they wished that they could do more to help. There’s more that many could do, so let’s do it.

Helping others doesn’t have to cost a penny. A kind word, saying hello in the street makes the world of difference to someone that lives alone and hasn’t spoken to anyone for a long time.

Being a friend costs nothing also, sharing what you no longer need doesn’t either. Of course I realise that many people have nothing to give to someone else.

Let’s spend the festive period and the coming year to be kind and thoughtful towards each other. We need to do this because the government won’t ever care about you.

Faces and building names covered out of respect for the people queuing.
No one should be forced to literally beg for food on Christmas Eve.

Please read, share, tweet and email this blog post. This makes a massive difference and it raises lots of awareness. Thank you!

A huge thank you to everyone that has and is supporting my blog and campaign. I really appreciate it and I couldn’t do this without your support.

If anyone would like to donate there’s a donat button at the top and side of this blog post.

Ashton Under lyne, baby, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, confidence, Cookery, coronavirus, covid 19, Decision maker, DLA, DPAC, Elderly, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, G4S, government, Green Party, Housing, hunger, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, loose women, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, poverty, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, 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

DWP increases its spending on fighting PIP and ESA appeals.

Dear readers I hope you are OK and keeping safe.

Let’s talk about my week.

It’s been a tough week for me but it is what it is.

I’ve finally finished my latest lot of antibiotics and at the time of writing this blog I am feeling a bit brighter.

Long covid is awful, but yesterday I walked the furthest that I’ve been able to for a long time.

I walked to the bottom of my street and back. Its a fairly long street and I’m proud of myself for doing it.

In other news I still feel like a failure for not being able to be a better parent for my daughter.

I do my best but health and finance prevents me from being able to take her out like I used to.

I’m alive though and I survived Covid 19. I’m very proud of this. My body was strong enough to fight this horrible virus, and I daily think about everyone that has died from covid 19 and their families.

Lets talk about the DWP

For years we have been saying that the DWP and government has created the ES and PIP system to punish people for being disabled and ill.

So many people have called us liars and suchlike, but thanks to Works And Pensions we now have the evidence.

The DWP has an endless pot of money to fight ESA and PIP appeals. They’re pretty blatent about this now, hell they don’t even deny it anymore.

They are spending this money even though they loosing an increasing amount of cases.

They don’t care if they loose, its all about punishment, making people feel like giving up and worse.

It’s obvious they see us as surplus to requirements. If they can’t profit from us then they will continue to persecute us to our very last breath.

No one should have to live like this. The government doesn’t have a heart, they don’t care and they don’t want us to fight back.

Luckily we are a savvy group of people and we have formed our own support groups via Facebook, Twitter and via local communities.

We care for each other and this is something that government officials haven’t got a clue about. They’re selfish morons. I could say more but I’m being polite.

Despite their appeal loses the DWP have increased its spending on fighting PIP and ESA appeals.

Remember it’s all about punishment and there’s an endless pot of money for that.

Figures obtained by the Independent, show the DWP spent £121m between 2017-19, with £58m spent on mandatory reconsiderations and £63m spent on tribunal appeals.

When broken down annually over three years, it shows that the amount spent on mandatory reconsiderations increased by 19% between 2016-17 and 2018-19, and the cost of tribunals surged by an extraordinary 64%.

The DWP is actually losing more and more appeals, with the success rate for PIP claimants now at 76%.

The DWP can’t just buy off tribunals with cash incentives.

Tribunals trust claimants and their evidence rather than the DWP and their obvious lies. They can’t be bought off like other organisations have been.

Thanks to Benefits and Work for your hard work and for keeping us informed. Check them out if you can.

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/4273-9-september-update?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=benefits-and-work&utm_content=9+September+2020+newsletter

More about covid 19.

As children go back to school, the infection rates are dramatically increasing.

Combine this with the re opening of pubs etc it’s not going to get better any time soon.

As usual the government are failing to give any direction and proper leadership.

The public are confused and I’m sure that this is why so many people are ignoring the rules.

How can you abide to the rules if you don’t know what they are?

Anyway yesterday Johnson informed the public about his latest lockdown rules.

It’s farcical saying that people can only mix with six people whilst schools are back in and they have more than six pupils.

Yesterday I read that arough estimate shows that teachers can have on average contact with about 200 households.

Does the government think that teachers and pupils can’t catch Covid 19?

It’s unbelievable isn’t it. Johnson and his ilk are liars, but I don’t need to tell you that.

This week has certainly been eventful. The town that I live in is now in double red alert and I’m expecting a local lockdown like Bolton.

It’s awful but if everyone took it seriously and wore masks etc it really would help.

I’m scared of catching it again and I know that thousands of people are as well.

Please keep safe, wash your hands, wear a mask and keep your distance from people if you can.

Lots of love to you all. I do think about you.

Please read, share, tweet, email my blog.

I really appreciate everyone that already does this.

A huge thank you to everyone that supports my campaign and my blog.

It’s been touch and go as to if I can continue writing my blog. Financially its a massive struggle because I don’t receive any funding from anyone.

For anyone who would like to donate there’s a donate button at the top and side of this blog.

My PayPal ad is seercharlotte@gmail.com

Thank you!

Ashton Under lyne, baby, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, confidence, Cookery, coronavirus, covid 19, Damien Green, Decision maker, DLA, DPAC, Elderly, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, G4S, government, Green Party, Housing, hunger, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, loose women, love island, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, poverty, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, 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

My 5th Covid 19 rebound. We need to talk more about long term covid 19 sufferers.

Dear readers it’s Thursday and I hope that you are all OK and as well as you can be.
Sadly I’ve rebounded again and I’m now on another course of antibiotics which I’ll be taking for the next seven days.
Sadly I’ve not been fit enough to do much and this week. I have been busy online and trying to do what I can.

The housing association that I rent my house from have decided to resume the work to fit a new kitchen so we’ve had to clear everything out of there.
We are now living in our small downstairs living room which is packed full of stuff from the kitchen.

I am very happy that they’ve decided to do this work because I’ve been waiting for 13 years for them to do this.
I am however too ill to appreciate it as much as I should.

Being a long term covid 19 sufferer is awful, it feels like it’s never ending. One minute you’re feeling on top of the world, that you’ve beaten it and all is good.
The next minute it comes straight back like a big cloud that’s raining heavily.
In my case it’s hit my chest the worst, this isn’t the same for everyone though. Friends that are also long term sufferers have a variety of symptoms ranging from exhaustion, headaches, pains in their limbs and joints, their eyes have been affected the list goes on and on.

Not enough people are talking about long term covid 19 sufferers like myself.
Andrew Gwynne MP is a fellow long termer and he published a really good article about his experiences of this awful virus and the long term affects

I’m sure that my friends and family are fed up with me being ill now but I really can’t help it. If I had a magic wand I would magic it away.

I am missing my old life, taking my daughter out, seeing friends, taking the dog for a decent walk and eating treats like chocolate etc etc.

I do realise that I’m luckier than so many people that didn’t survive Covid 19. Their families must be devastated.

What does make me angry though is the people that claim that Covid 19 is made up, it doesn’t exist, that it’s a lie and is some kind of joke.

Personally this makes me feel sicker than I do now. What gives them the right to belittle the suffering and deaths of so many?

What I do know is that if these people catch it they’ll be the first to demand the help of OUR NHS, our doctors, nurses, nursing assistants and support services.
Please don’t insult us with these lies, instead listen to us and try to understand how we are feeling. It isn’t hard to do.

Luckily my doctors surgery is doing telephone consultations but if you don’t have a phone or credit how are you supposed to get in touch with your doctor for help?
If a person doesn’t have any Internet either then it’s impossible. I really worry about everyone in this situation.

Yesterday I had to collect my meds. I wore my mask, kept away from people and used hand sanitizer like it was going out of fashion.

Whilst I was out I couldn’t help but notice the large amount of people walking around without wearing a mask. I’m positive that the death rates will rise as a result of this.

Covid 19 is still here folks, it hasn’t ended and so far there’s no sign of an end to it.

I’m trying to keep positive though although it’s not easy. Facebook memories from our days out keep popping up. My daughter deserves better than this.

I’m missing so much but I’m grateful for so much also. I’m getting used to living from food parcels, at least I have them. I am missing my treats though.

It’s a big culture shock though and it takes time to adapt to it. I do miss shopping though but it is what it is isn’t it.

What has helped me enormously is your support and help and the solidarity from other long term covid 19 sufferers. We all know what it’s like to feel like this.

My art has also kept me going, and I’ve been so lucky in getting help with this. It’s a good distraction and I get a good sense of actually achieving something.

What I do worry about though is how are people going to return to work, that’s if they have a job and are a long term covid sufferer? Personally and would find it impossible at the moment.

There is very little support for us out there but we do have each other and that’s something.

This week has been a bit of a blur and I make no apology for how I feel.

I want to send my love and solidarity to my good friend Keith Lindsey Cameron. He’s a good friend of mine and he’s been ill.
If you havent seen his work yet then have a look he’s an amazing campaigner.

I’m going to end it here because I’m knackered but take this message with you.

Let’s talk about everyone suffering from Covid 19 and the long term sufferers. Let’s keep reminding the government that people are still dying because they want people to forget about this.


One of my paintings.


Please read, share, tweet and email my blog.
A massive thank you to everyone that reads my blog, shares it and supports it.

For anyone that would like to donate towards my blog and campaign there’s a PayPal button at the top and side of this blog.
I don’t get paid for anything that I do so every penny donated really does make a difference.

A huge thank you to everyone that have done so already.

Lots of love to you all xxx.

Ashton Under lyne, baby, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, confidence, Cookery, coronavirus, Damien Green, Decision maker, DLA, DPAC, Elderly, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, G4S, government, Green Party, Housing, hunger, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, loose women, love island

The government needs to reverse all sanctions and reinstate ESA and PIP payments immediately due to the coronavirus Covid 19 outbreak.

Dear readers and supporters I hope that you are coping the best that you can during this very uncertain and worrying time.

It’s ok for the government to say self isolate when you have no food and many of the local food banks have shut their doors due to the coronavirus. They’re finding it hard to hand do their work because they can’t source any food to hand out and supermarkets have understandably put restrictions on purchases.

As I was waiting for Gordon to arrive with the food parcels I had a conversation with a man that I’ve spoken about before. He ran up to me saying ‘Thank God you’re here because everywhere else is shut’ I reassured him that I will do my best to help for as long as I can.

He told me about his struggles trying to get help, saying ‘It’s OK for organisations and councils to say phone us or email them. I don’t have the ability to do that. I’m sanctioned because I lost my mobile phone and I missed a text telling me to attend an appointment’

I asked him if he was coping and he told me that he wasn’t really. He’s been given an old mobile phone that doesn’t have good access to the Internet and anyway he can’t afford to buy any credit.

I asked him to register his new number with the DWP by going into the Jobcentre and to let them know that he hasn’t got any access to the Internet. I also asked him if he can also ask about his sanction to see if anything could be done to help him.

Sadly there are so many more people finding themselves in the same position as he is in. Many are also stuck in limbo awaiting decisions for ESA and PIP appeal and tribunal decisions. They too are struggling with little or no financial assistance and now find themselves feeling very vulnerable and left behind.

I’ve asked the DWP via Twitter if they can reverse all sanctions and reinstate all ESA and PIP payments immediately. Extremely vulnerable people need to have the means to survive. Sadly not enough people are taking this seriously maybe because its not happening to them.

Just ask yourself if you could cope in this time of crisis with no income at all. Sat in the cold with no access to help.

So we are left with a barely skeleton service given by local support organisations, food banks have had to shut, doctors surgeries are mainly only accepting telephone appointments, libraries have shut and thousands of people are very worried about how they were survive. They’re also very worried about catching coronavirus (Covid 19)

Schools are shutting their doors to all pupils except children of keyworkers and vulnerable children.

Whilst I agree with the closure of schools the government needs to be much clearer about the voucher system that they’re supposed to be putting into place.

It’s also extremely difficult to source food because selfish hoarders are stripping the shelves of most food products. The supermarkets are supposed to be implementing strict rules so let’s hope that this will help.

Please remember to follow full hygiene protocols, this is very important. Check on your friends amd neighbours to see if they’re OK.

I want all my readers to know that I’m here for you if you want to chat, feel free to email me or follow me on social media.

Together we can be stronger and we will get through this.

Please read, share, tweet and email my blog.

I have a donate button at the top and side of this blog post for anyone who would like to donate.

Army recruiting, Ashton Under lyne, baby, Boris Johnson, Brighthouse, confidence, Cookery, coronavirus, Damien Green, Decision maker, DLA, DPAC, Elderly, ESA, eugenics, Family, feminism, Food, Food bank, Free, frugal, fuel poverty, G4S, government, Green Party, Housing, hunger, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, loose women, love island, Mandatory reconsideration, Money saving tips, New Charter Housing, Northern resisters, Payday loan, PIP, poverty, prepaid energy, prepaid energy metres, sanctions, Steven Crabb, suicide, targets, Tax credits, television, 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

Prepaid energy top up and Coronavirus. How do you top up your prepaid energy meters? IMPORTANT.

Dear readers I’ve been chasing down all the major energy companies on Twitter and asking them what their emergency provisions are for people unable to go to a shop to top up an energy card or key.

It’s a very important issue because so many of us, myself included are stuck on prepaid meters. If we don’t top up we get cut off and then what are we supposed to do?

Are we expected to just put up with being cut off from everything or is there help out there?

So to find out I started tweeting the major energy companies straight away. It was extremely eye opening to see that so many people didn’t even think about this being a problem. On the other hand many people were concerned and have shared my tweets.

So far these are the responses, the response from British Gas has to be the worst. The best response so far has to be from Bulb Energy. EDF came second in both response time and gave a decent answer to my question.

Listed below are all the responses that I’ve had so far. If I get anymore responses I shall add them to this blog post.

EDF

Hi Charlotte, thanks for getting in touch. The current advice from Public Health England for people who are self-isolating is to ask friends, family members or delivery services to carry out tasks such as getting groceries, medications or other shopping. These tasks would include the topping up of non-smart prepay energy meters. In circumstances where this is not possible, we have existing measures in place to make sure ]supply will continue in the short term. We are able to preload keys and cards with credit that can be collected by a customer or someone that is helping them from a local shop or alternatively can be delivered in the post. Any credit provided will be collected back at a suitable rate agreed with the customer. We also operate a friendly non disconnection policy on most meters, this means that if a customer runs out of credit after certain hours the electricity will not go off until 9am the next day. The operates between the hours of Monday to Friday 6pm to 9am, Saturday from 6pm, anytime on a Sunday, until 9am Monday, anytime on a bank holiday, until 9am the next day. Many thanks

BRITISH GAS

Hi Charlotte, customers may have enough emergency credit to last while they’re self-isolating at home. If they think they will run out, they should contact us to discuss their circumstances. We will work with them to find a solution. Thanks, Charlie

BULB

Hi Charlotte – This is a valid concern, we’ve advised prepay members to top up extra. If that’s not possible due to self-isolation or other potential issues we have a supply of keys/cards preloaded with credit. This is a new situation for us so our policy may evolve with time – M

Hi Lou – The preloaded key/card system comes with credit and is intended to help those who can’t have others top up for them. We’re following latest government policy and advice to ensure our own actions are up to date with developments – M

CENTRICA

Hi, you may have enough credit to last you while your self-isolating at home. If you think you’ll run out of credit, contact us to discuss your circumstances and we’ll work with you to find a solution. Thanks, Leanne

Hi Charlotte, we’ll continue to ensure customers get the help and support they need. If you think you’ll run out of credit, contact us to discuss your circumstances and we’ll work with you to find a solution.

E-ON

SCOTTISH POWER.