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Disabled people are being hit hard. Join us to protest on 22 October

Having promised to protect the most vulnerable, the Government is pressing ahead with swingeing cuts to benefits and services vital to the lives of disabled people. We held a large and vocal protest in May, including a lobby of Parliament, but Ministers did not listen.

They are still planning to take £2bn from disabled people receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA). They are also cutting £1bn from contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), ignoring the fact that disabled claimants have built up an entitlement to this benefit through their national insurance contributions. 

Fortunately there is still a chance to halt some of the planned cuts. Over the next couple of months the Welfare Reform Bill is in the House of Lords. The Bill is a key target since it delivers the cuts to DLA and ESA, and a strong showing by us will strengthen the hand of supportive Peers.

To this end disabled people, their families and friends will be protesting on Saturday 22 October. Organised by the Hardest Hit coalition of disability charities and disabled people's organisations, there will be rallies and marches in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Nottingham. Come and join us!

• More details are available at www.hardesthit.org.uk, or see False Economy's events list.

Steve Winyard is Head of Campaigns at RNIB and co-chair of the Hardest Hit coalition.

• Posted by: Steve Winyard at 11:59am on 14 October 2011
• Filed under: Benefits, Disability, Protest

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