UK Government consultation on disability benefits cuts rearranged after venue cancelled only Welsh event

Emily Price 

The UK Government has rearranged the only in-person consultation in Wales on proposed cuts to disability benefits after the first event was called off at short notice.

Last week, the Mercure Cardiff North Hotel cancelled an event arranged by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to hear the voices and views of Welsh people on its new Green Paper.

The paper proposes significant changes to the disability benefits system, including scrapping the work capability assessment and modifying personal independence payment eligibility criteria.

Labour is under pressure over the reforms which are expected to impact almost 190,000 people in Wales – 6% of the population.

Support

The UK Government says the changes include a £1bn employment support package to “genuinely support” sick or disabled people across Wales into work, while “protecting those who will never be able to work”.

The DWP has been running a number of face-to-face events on the Green Paper to hear from disabled people and their representative organisations directly.

In Wales, only one in-person consultation was scheduled for June 3rd – but it was cancelled by the venue just days before.

Concerns were raised by attendees that the venue wouldn’t have been accessible for some people with disabilities as wheelchair users would have had to travel 1.6 miles unassisted in order to attend the event.

Disability campaigners, organisations and politicians met outside the Cardiff Central train station on Tuesday (June 3) to hold an “open-air” consultation on the controversial welfare reforms.

A spokesperson for the Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) Cymru campaign group said: “If the DWP cannot be trusted to organise a simple meeting with disabled people, how the hell can they be trusted to reform the welfare system in a way that supports us?

“Our attempt, at very short notice, to ensure a safe and accessible consultation intervention for disabled protestors and ticket holders must put the DWP to shame.”

Campaigners told Nation.Cymru that DWP had rearranged the cancelled hotel meeting to be an online-only event – depriving contributors of the chance to air their views face to face.

‘Fully accessible’

But the DWP has since told us it has arranged a face to face event at a “fully accessible venue” for Monday 23 June with an “additional virtual consultation” on Thursday 26 June.

Those who had a ticket to the Cardiff consultation event on 3 June will be notified and invited to the rearranged event.

Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms said: “It is crucial that the views and voices of sick or disabled people across Wales are at the heart of our reforms, which is why we’ve rescheduled a consultation event in Cardiff after it was cancelled by the venue.

 “Having listened to people’s calls for more consultation opportunities in Wales we have also arranged an additional virtual event, so even more people can take part.

“We will continue to look at the specific impacts for those living in Wales as we seek to support people back into work if they are able, while also protecting those who rely on our social security system.”