A lively contingent of single mums, people with disabilities, unemployed youth and their supporters protested to the House of Lords yesterday, to demand the law makers oppose the Welfare Reform Bill, which they say will lead to poverty and even deaths.
The Single Mothers Self- Defence organisation, demanded: ‘Cap greedy landlords, not low-income people’ and said ‘No’ to going back to Dickensian days.
If the benefit cap goes through larger families, including those with informally-fostered children, ¡single mother families and households with disabled people face eviction from central London.
People will have to go without food and heating to pay rent, or live in unbearable overcrowding, and will end up homeless, destitute and begging on the street.
Income support, which recognises the contribution of mothers and other carers, is being abolished and replaced with back-to-work conditions as soon as a child turns one year old.
Rebecca Smith said: ‘I’m here to urge the House of Lords to oppose this bill, in particular clause 51 which is to do with limiting the payment of the Employment Support Allowance (ESA) to one year only.
‘If it is passed, then those who become disabled during their employment will only be able to receive this benefit for a year.
‘Further it is retrospective, so if the bill is passed those that have already been on ESA for a year will have their benefits terminated immediately.
‘We will then have to apply for PIP or Personal Independence Payments, which will be means-tested.
‘Any household which has an income of more than £7,500 a year will not be eligible for benefits, not even for highly costly conditions such as cancer.’
Dave Skull from Mad Pride, representing people with mental health issues said: ‘These cuts are targeting the very poor and the most vulnerable.
‘I would say the government’s actions are tantamount to murder.’
The campaigners are optimistic about their protest saying a previous protest on 14 December – lobbying and testimony from people affected – helped defeat government moves to cut housing benefit by £12.22 a week for Council tenants who have a spare room.