Here's how to make your voice heard against the DWP's disability benefit cuts

The Labour government has announced the biggest cuts to disability benefits on record – but there is still time to make your voice heard against the changes.

Everything that was suggested was part of a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) green paper – and the aim of a green paper is to allow people to give the government feedback on proposals.

That includes people in parliament, like MPs, but it also includes the general public.

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So to be clear, while Labour ministers hope to implement these plans, they are not set in stone and some of these changes may still not happen. And you have the right to ask the government to rethink the cuts.

Proposals include tightening the eligibility criteria for the personal independence payment (PIP), freezing the health element of universal credit for current claimants, and cutting it in half for new claimants.

March 26 will see the chancellor Rachel Reeves unveil her Spring Statement, her plan for the future of the economy, which is expected to include further cuts to public services.

On the same day, the government will publish an impact assessment of its green paper proposals to slash disability benefits, with details on how many people will be impacted by cuts.

The Resolution Foundation has estimated that between 800,000 and 1.2 million people will lose thousands of pounds a year under the plans for PIP.

Below, we explain how you can oppose the changes – including how to get involved in the consultation, write to your MP, and the protests and campaign groups you can support in taking action, and how to write into the Big Issue to share your views.

How to write into the DWP’s consultation on welfare reforms

There is an open consultation on the government’s ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working’ green paper, which details its strategy and proposals for change – including disability benefit cuts and employment support. You can read the full green paper here.

The green paper says that the government is “keen to hear views from a wide group of people, in particular disabled people and people with health conditions and disability organisations”.

The consultation will run for 12 weeks, with an end date currently set for 30 June.

You can respond to the consultation online here. There are 17 questions to answer, although you can leave some blank if you would prefer.

Alternatively, you can email consultation.pathwaystowork@dwp.gov.uk or write to the Disability and Health Support Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions, Level 2, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H9NA.

DWP will also be running a “number of accessible virtual and face-to-face events on the consultation”, and more details of this will be advertised on the green paper’s page in “due course”.

How to write to your MP about the disability benefit cuts

The more MPs hear from constituents about the benefit cuts, the more likely they are to stand up in parliament and oppose the government’s plans.

You can find out who your MP is here and that will direct you to their contact details to email them directly.

Charity Trussell, which runs the largest network of food banks in the UK, has a useful form which you can fill in to email your MP about the disability benefit cuts.

Are there any protests about the disability benefit cuts?

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) is holding a rally on Wednesday, 26 March, outside Downing Street at 11am. There will be speeches and then a march to parliament.

There will also be an online protest on 26 March, run by journalists and disability campaigners from The Canary. They are urging people to use the hashtag #WelfareNotWarfare across social media. The Canary will also be live streaming the rally outside Downing Street.

The group Crips Against Cuts is also organising a National Day of Action on Saturday (22 March). There will be rallies in London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Brighton, Sheffield, Truro, Liverpool, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Manchester, Bournemouth, Coventry, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Darlington and more.

Remember that you have rights if you are protesting. Human rights organisation Liberty has a good guide on how to stay safe while on a protest.

How to write to the Big Issue and other media to share your views

We’ve seen how important the media can be in influencing political decisions – including around the benefits system. There was a leak to ITV News that the government was planning to freeze PIP and, potentially because of outrage to that, ministers did not go ahead with the freeze.

At the Big Issue, we have consistently reported on the experiences of disabled people facing injustices at the hands of the disability benefits system, and we will continue to do so.

In some cases, it has led to change, such as our reporting on a disabled woman who was wrongfully accused of owing the DWP £28,000. If you want to share your story with us, you can get in touch here.

Journalists can often be easily contacted online via social media or email.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.