John Pring

Independent Living

Long windows on the front of the Department of Health and Social Care offices in Whitehall

June 7, 2018 0

Tens of thousands in debt to local councils over social care charges

More than 160,000 people are in debt to their local authority because of the charges they are having to pay for their own social care, new figures have revealed. The figures, which came from freedom of information requests by the GMB union, also show that nearly 1,200 people in just two years were taken

Arts, Culture and Sport

A man looks surprised, a woman looks over his shoulder, black and white picture

June 7, 2018 0

Disability Pride events ‘allow disabled people to celebrate who they are’

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Organisers of some of the growing number of Disability Pride events being held across the country have explained why they are so important to disabled people. On Saturday 14 July, the second Disability Pride Brighton will take place, followed two months later, on 16 September, by a Disability Pride celebration in Norwich. They follow

Transport

May 31, 2018 0

Rail company to run services with no wheelchair spaces… on government’s orders

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A train operator will this summer start running mainline rail services that wheelchair-users will not be able to access… with the apparent blessing of the government. It is believed to be the first time for many years that a scheduled mainline train service will run without any provision for passengers who use wheelchairs. And

Politics

Marsha de Cordova speaking in parliament

May 31, 2018 0

TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: Government ‘has created hostile environment for disabled people’

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The government has created a “hostile environment” for disabled people just as it has for members of the Windrush generation, Labour’s shadow minister for disabled people has told trade unionists. Marsha de Cordova (pictured) described herself as a “grand-daughter of the Windrush generation” as she addressed the annual TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference in Bournemouth.

Benefits and Poverty

Paul Litchfield giving evidence to a Commons committee

May 31, 2018 0

DWP ‘has no record’ of whether it showed WCA death documents to reviewer

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claims it has no record of whether it showed vital documents linking its “fitness for work” test with the deaths of benefit claimants to the expert it hired to review the assessment. Even though DWP possesses the documents, it is claiming it holds no information in its

Independent Living

May 31, 2018 0

Watchdog forces 13 CCGs to back down over NHS institution threat

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The equality and human rights watchdog has forced 13 NHS primary care organisations to withdraw unlawful, discriminatory policies that could have seen service-users with complex healthcare needs forced into institutions. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) had written to the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) as the first step in a potential judicial review

Benefits and Poverty

People coming out of the Bournemouth International Centre

May 31, 2018 0

TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: ‘Critically-flawed universal credit must be scrapped’

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Disabled trade unionists have voted overwhelmingly in favour of scrapping the government’s much-criticised universal credit benefits system. A series of speakers at the TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference in Bournemouth (pictured) – attended by disabled delegates from 22 unions – spoke of the damage caused by the rollout of universal credit (UC). And after passing

Transport

May 31, 2018 0

TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: ‘Discriminatory train firm should be stripped of franchise’

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A train company which issued discriminatory guidance to its station staff should be stripped of its rail franchise, say disabled trade unionists. The TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference in Bournemouth – attended by representatives of 22 unions – heard from a string of delegates who were furious at the guidance and called for action to

Education

Janine Booth reading to an audience from a book

May 31, 2018 0

TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: Backing for national demo on SEND cuts

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Disabled trade unionists have unanimously backed calls for a national demonstration this autumn against cuts to support for disabled children and those with special educational needs. Janine Booth, co-chair of the TUC disabled workers’ committee, who proposed the emergency motion, said the government was making “brutal cuts” to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Human Rights

Delegates at the disabled workers' conference

May 31, 2018 0

TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: UN convention ‘must become part of UK law’

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Disabled trade unionists have called on the TUC and unions across the country to campaign for the UN disability convention to be incorporated into UK law. Disabled members of 22 unions, who were at the annual TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference in Bournemouth (pictured), voted unanimously for a motion calling for a national campaign on

Author John Pring