We are calling on David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband to work together, and Stop The False Economy of Cutting Benefits for the Disabled and Vulnerable Adults by Ring Fencing and securing in the Care Bill, the Long Term Funding for Their Support 

This is something greater than politics ... This is about supporting those less fortunate than us who genuinely need benefits and many of whom are unable to speak for themselves ..

Vulnerable adults with disabilities want to work but there are very few jobs available or suitable for them. Many need costly support and special arrangements to be able to do so.

As parents, we are concerned because our disabled (adult) children’s funding comes entirely from benefits and social services. We believed that this secured their future and they were safe in the hands of UK government and local authorities, BUT:

* The Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill has capped working­ age benefit rises at 1% until 2016, including benefits for the disabled

* Councils say "By the end of this parliament, councils' funding from central government will have been cut by 33%"[1] This funding includes social care for the disabled

*Disabled, vulnerable adults have low disposable income and have to pay for items and services to help them overcome the effects of their disability. They are thus more affected by price rises than most UK citizens.

* 2009­/2012 inflation averaged 4.3%[2]. The Bank of England hopes to reduce this to 2% but even this is 1% above the caps

* Energy has risen by 9% this year and will rise above inflation for the foreseeable future

* Food prices rose by 33% between 2007 and 2013[3]

* 2013 was “the tenth year running that rail fares have increased by more than inflation”[4]

* Fuel prices have risen by at least 36% between 2009 & 2012[5]

So how will disabled and vulnerable adults manage in the future?

In the real world, businesses need to invest for the future to succeed. Many would not survive if they had to cut investment by 33% or more and cap wage rises at 1% regardless of inflation. So why do vulnerable adults with disabilities have to be the victims of lack of investment and bad management?

Over £2bn in savings are anticipated by 2015/16 from the change from DLA to PIP[6]. The government expects nearly 1 million disabled people to lose some or all of their support by 2018[7]. Yet this has a huge cost of £710m, mainly to be paid to private companies (like ATOS) that undertake assessments and reassessments every two years largely for the permanently disabled. So this is a real waste of public money.

These cuts are a false economy and will seriously reduce the quality of life of disabled, vulnerable adults. Further cuts in housing benefits are coming. And remember, there are serious reductions in adult social care budgets, the funding for which is not currently ring fenced.  The disabled are already twice as likely to live in poverty as other citizens[8].

It’s time to think outside the box. With wise, prudent investment a solid, long term future can be secured for our disabled offspring and produce more jobs (eg in the care sector, for local economies, training for the disabled, etc), as well as open up opportunities for them to play a useful role in society. It is the government’s responsibility to look after the most vulnerable in society.

We call on the Government to maintain the future value of all benefits and, in the Care Bill, ring fence Benefits for disabled and vulnerable adults. 

Ghandi once said: “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members”.

Please join us and sign our petition. Thank you.

Stephen Dean, Kay Roudaut, Freda Benlamlih

[1]http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/jun/16/letters-council-leaders-protest-cuts

[2] http://www.bankofengland.co.uk

[3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24773201

[4] http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/02/rail-fair-increases-commuter-routes

[5] http://www.itv.com/news/search/?q=%22average+fuel+prices+in+uk+2009+to+2012

[6] Department of Work and Pensions. DLA reform Impact Assessment (May2012). https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/220151/eia-dla-reform-wr2011.pdf

[7] Reassessments and Impacts report (Dec 2012). Table 6 shows of those who will be reassessed, 510,000 on DLA will receive a lower award under PIP, and 450,000 on DLA will receive no award under PIP. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180964/pip-reassessments-and-impacts.pdf

[8] Disability Poverty in the UK, Leonard Cheshire Disability, 2008. http://www.lcdisability.org/?lid=6386