Rustington residents rally over disability cuts plans

An outspoken contingent from St Bridget’s Leonard Cheshire Disability home, in Ilex Close, will be marching during the Hardest Hit Campaign’s rally in Brighton, in defiance of proposed changes to the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) by the government.

If approved, the cut would see the maintenance component of the allowance, which can equate to almost £50 per person, per week, slashed, with only the £22 per week, basic living allowance remaining untouched.

Those at St Bridget’s argue that this would mean a drastic dip in the quality of life, with residents’ saying that the cut would have “devastating consequences”.

Jackie Postance, 47, suffers with spina bifida, and relies on her motorised wheelchair to get around.

She said: “These cuts will destroy people’s lives. It will have a massive impact on the disabled.

“It took me about two years to save up nearly £6,000 for a powered wheel chair. I couldn’t have done it without the mobility allowance.

“The allowance is my life, everything comes out of it. This is the only money I can get. Our wheelchairs are like our cars. If you take that away from us, you take our independence from us.”

Another resident, Rachael Hardy, 42, is also against the proposed cuts. She said: “We just want to be treated like normal people. We want to have our freedom like everyone else.”

A group of four residents will be representing the home on Saturday’s march, with others adding that they will be there in spirit.

Julie Stainton, from Leonard Cheshire Disability, the organisation that runs the Rustington home, said: “If the mobility component was cut, it would mean that people would only have £22 a week to live on. This would then have to pay for accommodation, clothing, food, travel – everything, It’s nowhere near enough.

“The hope is that all this action will get the government to take this proposal out of the bill.”

A spokesman from the Department for Work and Pensions, who is in charge of the DLA, said: “This government is absolutely committed to supporting disabled people and we continue to spend more than £40bn a year on disabled people and their services.

“However, the current benefit system is not always reaching those who need it most, which is why we will introducing the new Personal Independence Payment to ensure people get the right levels of support.

“And our reforms are more than just changes to benefits. The Sayce Review is looking at how we can use the protected budget for disability employment services more effectively, to get an extra 35,000 disabled people into work.”

The march in Brighton, is one of many planned across the country, as part of the Hardest Hit campaign, and is expected to draw thousands of people.

It will leave from Jubilee Square, at 11.30am.

For more information about the campaign, visit www.hardesthit.org.uk