Dear List Members
The following is self explanatory:
Please find the time to review and oppose these proposals.
Richard Light
----- Original Message -----
From: David Colley
Hi,
You may not have noticed, but the Government has issued a consultation
document insultingly called OFairer Charging Policies for Home Care and
other non-residential Social Servicesı. It proposes drastic changes to the
way that disabled people are forced to pay for essential services. They say
the aim is to make charging for essential services fairer.
But instead, the plan is now to MEANS-TEST all disabled people receiving
home care or other community-based social services from their local
authority. But thatıs not all. The proposal is to means-test up to 55% of
everyoneıs income. That means that we might be lucky to come away with only
some of what we earn - and still have the priveledge of paying tax on the
entire amount before they take it away from us! This could mean paying
hundreds of pounds EACH MONTH for the basic services you need to get up, get
fed, get dressed and get out the house!
So if youıre lucky enough to have fought discrimination and get a job if
youıre a disabled person, the Government is now planning to take away a
major portion of your net salary - even though you already pay income tax,
national insurance and council tax for Government services. This will mean
real hardship for countless disabled people. The means-test is based on
Income Support levels.
One of the ironies of this policy would be that disabled people would be
paying for other peopleıs children to go to school (through taxation), but
would have to pay for THEIR OWN community care (and other peopleıs through
taxation and national insurance). This is scandalous!
The fine details of the means test havenıt been released yet, even though
the Government is asking people to say what they think about the plans now.
How can we think about the implications without the information?
I could mean paying hundreds and hundreds of pounds for vital independent
living services for many of us. Working full-time or working at all wonıt be
viable anymore, despite what they say about it not being a disincentive to
work. The figures just donıt add up. Instead of independent living, itıs
forcing economic dependency onto us.
It means that ALL disabled people receiving community care have to PROVE how
much they spend, how they spend it, and will have to go back to social
services to BEG for allowances to buy things they need. Itıs Victorian
workhouse thinking, but this time time weıll be stuck in our own homes.
The consultation documents are available at
http://www.doh.gov.uk/scg/homecarecharges/index.htm
PLEASE, PLEASE do the following:
1. write to your Member of Parliament STRAIGHT AWAY telling them that you
think ANY means-testing for community care services is unacceptable. If they
can find enough money for the Millenium Dome, they can surely find enough
money for independent living for disabled people! It is offensive that they
plan to force such a disadvantaged group to balance their budgets for them.
You can write to your MP at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA. You can
find out who your MP is by going to the website
http://www.locata.co.uk/commons/
2. Send an email to Helen Woodhead (Department of Health) at
[log in to unmask] saying what you think about the proposals set
out in OFairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential
Social Servicesı. Or even write to her at Department of Health, Social Care
Group, Wellington House (Room 216), 133-155 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UG.
Or even phone her on 020 7972 4039.
3. Copy this email to your friends and ask them to send in their comments to
their MP and to the Department of Health as well.
------- End of forwarded message -------
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