Mental Health : You Cannot Bank On Incapacity Benefits Unless You Are A Banker Cartoon By LONG jOHN KAKATOO-PURNELL23rd Oct 2008Mental Health Users that have contacted UserWatch have expressed worries about the changes taking place in Incapacity Benefit (IB) UK rules and eligibility criteria as well the Govt's partly stigmatizing push to get people off benefits and into work. These matters were not well handled either by David Freud ( a one time Banker) who advised the Govt on IB alterations and who appeared to pander to anti-benefit sentiments that are all too readily linked to prejudice towards those who find it difficult to fit easily into society and the world of work . (David Freud Telegraph Article)IB as it is often called, is changing into Employment Support Allowance and we consider it has been handled in a very poor way and has not considered fluctuating disabling conditions enough . Therefore "TOOL UP". In Birmingham you might want to seek help in time by using the following website to find a solicitor and or adviceGO TO COMMUNITY LEGAL ADVICETIP :Look at the left hand side of the site and put in your postcode as well as define the area of advice you want ... Then check the results which will come up automatically We note also the Guardian have run a story (Oct 22nd 2008) about the difficulties of those with fluctuating conditions - its worth a read although parts of the case are hardly applicable to those at the bottom of society who have far less power of negotiation than the person who offered their experience up for observation . Nevertheless the weaves and twists of the story do show up some all too common themes of a chaotic dryly cold and uncompassionate State ...SEE THE STORY HERE (See also some better thinking about using benefits for local regeneration - Guardian Jess Steele)(See Also the Local Govt Information Unit on what Local Authorities are supposed to be doing about policy roll outs of worklessness )See Jonathon Rutherford piece in the Guardian On New Labour's ESA Roll Out

Cartoon By LONG jOHN KAKATOO-PURNELL

23rd Oct 2008

Mental Health Users that have contacted UserWatch have expressed worries about the changes taking place in Incapacity Benefit (IB) UK rules and eligibility criteria as well the Govt's partly stigmatizing push to get people off benefits and into work. These matters were not well handled either by David Freud ( a one time Banker) who advised the Govt on IB alterations and who appeared to pander to anti-benefit sentiments that are all too readily linked to prejudice towards those who find it difficult to fit easily into society and the world of work . (David Freud Telegraph Article)

IB as it is often called, is changing into Employment Support Allowance and we consider it has been handled in a very poor way and has not considered fluctuating disabling conditions enough . Therefore "TOOL UP". In Birmingham you might want to seek help in time by using the following website to find a solicitor and or advice

GO TO COMMUNITY LEGAL ADVICE



TIP :

Look at the left hand side of the site and put in your postcode as well as define the area of advice you want ... Then check the results which will come up automatically

We note also the Guardian have run a story (Oct 22nd 2008) about the difficulties of those with fluctuating conditions - its worth a read although parts of the case are hardly applicable to those at the bottom of society who have far less power of negotiation than the person who offered their experience up for observation . Nevertheless the weaves and twists of the story do show up some all too common themes of a chaotic dryly cold and uncompassionate State ...

SEE THE STORY HERE



(See also some better thinking about using benefits for local regeneration - Guardian Jess Steele)


(See Also the Local Govt Information Unit on what Local Authorities are supposed to be doing about policy roll outs of worklessness )

See Jonathon Rutherford piece in the Guardian On New Labour's ESA Roll Out