Z2K’s Marc Francis explains why we will be calling on MPs to reject the Department’s plans to scrap the 10,000 case cap and the formal report back to Parliament before UC is rolled-out.
Z2K’s Marc Francis explains why we think the Chancellor must end his freeze on LHA rates and reverse his cut on Discretionary Housing Payments in next week’s Budget Statement.
After an incredible two years at Z2K, this week is my last. One thing that has become resoundingly clear through my time here, is how vital on-the-ground front-line and lived experience evidence is in rebutting the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) often unfounded claims of its good practice and improvement.
24 July 2019 was quite some time ago. Boris Johnson had just been voted in by Conservative Party members as Prime Minister. Lil Nas X had just broken the record for weeks at number 1 in the charts with the smash-hit Old Town Road. And if anyone were to mask up on public transport, you might have thought them eccentric, to say the least. But for Marsha, a Z2K client, that was when she became one of the hundreds of thousands of ‘losers’ from the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) transition from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Last Saturday, I was privileged to attend a memorial service for Z2K’s founder – the Reverend Paul Nicolson. It was a deeply moving occasion, with wonderful stories of Paul’s life from his children and tributes from colleagues in the many campaigns he was involved in. My kids will testify I’m not much of a singer, but even I got swept up in the rousing rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic – aka “Mine eyes have seen the glory”. Thankfully, the congregation of Tottenham’s St Paul the Apostle church was on hand to sing it the way it’s meant to be sung!
For years, the Government has had reams of evidence handed to them showing not only why the disability benefits assessments processes are simply not working – but also how they’re actively harming people. For too many who apply for health and disability benefits, they are met with barriers, hostility, and stigma, and are denied the income they’re entitled to.
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