Mar 102021
Background:
Whilst Universal Credit claimants have been supported with an additional £20 per week uplift during the pandemic, something that the Chancellor has confirmed at the recent budget is set to continue until August 2021, those on legacy benefits (Old-style ESA, JSA and income support) have received no additional support at all throughout this period.
There are in excess of 2.5 million people claiming legacy benefits, yet there has been no focus on their exclusion in the main stream media, who instead have centred on Universal Credit claimants.
On March 1st 2021 Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) held one of a series of online days of action to highlight this disparity in support, entitled ‘#20More4All’. The aim of which was to raise awareness of the lack of support for legacy claimants.
This day of action was supported by video statements from Jonathan Reynolds MP, Marsha Decordova MP, John McDonnell MP, Debbie Abrahms MP and Labour NEC member Laura Pidcock. There were also a small number of written tweets from other MPs including Vicky Foxcroft MP.
Unite The Union’s Steve Turner and numerous Unite Community branches also pledged their support for #20More4All with the message ‘Keep and extend the uplift to all claimants’.
On Sunday March 7th Martin Lewis highlighted the fact that mainstream media had not covered this issue, referring to budget related articles in the news as well as his one to one interview with Chancellor Sunak, he said “If you had a mail bag like mine and you saw all that the people with the disabilities, and carers and other people on legacy benefits, who are having massively increased costs due to the pandemic- that they are not able to support out, there are a lot of upset people and the phrase that the chancellor keeps using is ‘We are helping everybody, we will do everything we can to help people and businesses’, that sticks in the craw of those who are excluded from the help. But it’s been missed from these papers.”
You can view a captioned version of the interview clip here:
Please pass this motion in support of the DPAC #20More4All campaign at your CLP/Union meeting;
This CLP/Union notes that there has been a lack of awareness raised in mainstream media of legacy claimants who have not received any additional support during the Coronavirus pandemic.
This has lead to a widespread issue in that the public have, as a consequence, not been informed of 2.5 million legacy claimants suffering increased hardship throughout this period.
This CLP/Union resolves to
•Pledge our support for the DPAC #20More4All Campaign by sending a message of support to DPAC and posting it on our CLP/Union social media pages.
•Ensure any of our future campaigning by or around the £20 a week uplift is inclusive of those on legacy benefits, refering to #20More4All.
•Invite a DPAC speaker to our meeting.
•Write to our MP and ask that they are supportive of the #20More4All campaign going forwards.
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Please send statements of support to DPAC, or request a speaker from DPAC attend your meetings by emailing: mail@DPAC.uk.net
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