Disability Benefits Consortium - tell the Government to keep their promises on benefits

Mind as part of the Disability Benefits Consortium - the consortium brings together a wide range of disability organisations, cancer charities, older people's organisations, advice services, carers' organisations and other organisations to lobby and campaign on welfare benefits as they relate to disabled people - is calling on you to act now in response to the Government's proposed changes to Incapacity Benefit and Emplyment Support Allowance.

The Government has recently announced the rates for the new benefit, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Despite their firm promise for the new allowance to be more generous than Incapacity Benefit, the vast majority of individuals will be worse off by £1.85 per week. Thousands of people with severe mental illness living on benefits will continue to face financial insecurity and real hardship. Hundreds of thousands of people with severe mental illness living on benefits will continue to face financial insecurity and real hardship.

There are two groups of people who will receive ESA: those who have made National Insurance contributions and those who have not. We are very worried that these groups are being treated differently, which is unfair. The permitted earnings of those receiving contribution-based ESA will be counted as income for Housing Benefit purposes. However, people receiving income-related ESA will have their permitted earnings protected.

To change the Government's plans, MPs need to vote against the ESA rates by the end of this week. MPs can do this by signing  Early Day Motion 1595, a parliamentary petition opposing the new rates.

You can email your MP today and ask them to sign this crucial Early Day Motion.