Burnley joins in National Day of Protest Against Benefits Cuts - video
BURNLEY benefit claimants took to the streets yesterday to protest against changes to the welfare system which they say will take away their financial lifelines.
A group of around 10 people, some holding placards, demonstrated outside Burnley Town Hall in Manchester Road as part of a National Day of Protest Against Benefit Cuts.
The protest mainly centred around work capability assessment testing for claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), which replaced incapacity benefit last year, and potential cuts to disability living allowance being mooted by the Government.
Organiser Iris Willis said her benefits were stopped last year and since then relies on food handouts.
Protester Sally Parnell said: “Benefits to some people are not an option but give people with health issues a chance to have a life and to be able to give back to society.
“If I am forced to go into a job it will send me to an early grave.”
Helen Sutcliffe, who claims ESA and whose daughter claims Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), added: “I’m sick of being accused of benefit fraud. The whole perception is that we are all fraudsters. We are all scraping through, not able to pay for bills.
“My daughter gets EMA but how are we going to be able to afford to send her to college when that is scrapped?
“We won’t be able to afford the bus fares. This isn’t money that gets frittered it pays for day to day living.”
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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Comments
There are 6 comments to this article
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Andy Mullen
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 09:51 PMWhat are the odds on me knowing all of the 1% of the benefit cheats. Maybe should do the lottery.
stylishowl
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 10:32 PMSome of the comments in the article are mine. I haven't worked for just over 2 years. I have an acute mental illness that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I also have physical disabilities. I had a job and did it incredibly well. Then I had to tell my employer about my condition because my psychiatrist changed my medication and I needed a week off to adjust to it (It made me sleep). I hadn't done anything odd or unusual. They sacked me. All nicely wrapped up so I couldn't prove what they'd done. Not that I was in any state to do anything. I felt so worthless I tried to take my own life. It's been a long hard road back but I have done college courses to re-train with the aim of getting a job. Unfortunately, if I'm pushed into a job with too much stress it will push me over the edge again.You could book my place in the psychiatric unit along with the letter of appointment. In short, I'm actually scared stiff about working again, even though I'd love a job and the sense of pride that comes with paying your own bills. I WILL work again, but when I'm ready and it will be the RIGHT JOB for ME. Some of the people I've met since joining self help groups will unfortunately never work again and it is destroying them knowing the truth of the matter. I didn't wake up one day and ask for my illness but I do wake up every day and wish I wasn't ill. You're all happy to bash us but ask yourself this. If there are so many benefit cheats out there, how come they only find less than 1% out of the millions of us?Goverment departments can only estimate how many there are and make it a ridiculously high figure to make their own actions messing up the rest of the economy seem better. So anyone out there with a nice little accounts clerk job who thinks I'm living the life of riley on benefits, swap lives with me now and I'll go out to work while you wrap yourself in blankets to keep warm becuase you can't afford to put the heating on all day. You might even be able to stand outside the Town Hall for half an hour to let people know you still exist and NEED the paltry benefit you hope you'll still get next week. We were only there for half an hour. Disabled people don't have the stamina.
Andy Mullen
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 05:45 AMI would love to comment, but it's 05:45 & I have to get to work. Maybe later if I have time or I'm not too tired.
LauraJ
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 09:53 AMI was just going to type the same thing, How long were they stood outside protesting, considering they are unfit for work?! What a joke. People's morals are all wrong. I don't understand her point, If they are scraping through not able to pay their bills then why doesn't she get a job to improve her life?! There isn't any point in moaning about it you've just got to do what you have to do for your family to survive, and if you can organise a protest outside the town hall I'd say that energy would be better used finding yourself a job and dragging yourself out of the poverty you claim to be in! I 100% agree with the cuts, It's about time people started taking responsibility for themselves and stop expecting everyone else to do it for them!
drw
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 08:26 PMI have managed to work all my life from leaving school brought up a family and paid my bills often on less than what some benefit claimants are getting. I have no doubt I have been forced to work and no doubt it will send me to an early grave like Sally Parnel fears. But do not fear I will remain working so people can have their share of what I get up for every morning. By the way if people are unfit to work how come they can stand outside the town hall protesting? Such enegy ! I hope the DSS are noteing who turned up at the protest,
tom 1
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 01:57 PMI think they are targeting the wrong people. I know quite a few people who walk into the town drink all day and stagger home. Or even can afford taxies who are on the sick. I work all day and I cant afford taxies never mind getting drunk everyday.. They need to look around the public house and pull the ones who are all day and get them assessed
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