Meeting MP update

Hi readers, it’s Kerry and Emily, with an update on our online meeting with MP Liam Conlan last week. To find out why we, with friends Amy and Marshall from Speakup, met Liam, check out the last two week’s articles in the Echo or on PFD’s website.  

So, it went very well! Liam was great, listening carefully to us. A great step forward too, as he’s invited us back to Westminster, to talk more with him and other MP’s from the new Disability Parliamentary Labour Party Group, plus the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms.

This is great news, as we want to tell the government ourselves, what’s not working for disabled people, especially people with a learning disability. Things like too many difficult forms, even easy read versions impossible to understand, even for people supporting us.

The government promise some wins in the planned welfare reforms but will they work in practice? No new changes will help us with what’s already not working, like why, when moving to Universal Credit, many of us find other benefits are cut. Is that the government plan? To cut benefits for people who need them most, especially when it’s more expensive to live?

The Government know disabled people (and our carers) are struggling, so are they discriminating against us, especially with the new planned changes to PIP? Also, will these changes even save the government money? It’s going to cause so much stress; it will probably end up costing more! Just making DWP and job centres more accessible and friendlier places, could save a lot of money!

We are grateful to Liam for offering to talk more with us, and help us bring people with a learning disability, and the government together, to make things better for everyone.

The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by People First Dorset - a charity led and run by people with learning disabilities with support from staff