People awarded this lifetime status have ALREADY Proved to the government that their illness or disability WILL NOT get better or people will NOT Grow limbs back for the entirety of that person's life. The Government have ALREADY accepted and agree that these people are the most vulnerable BY AWARDING lifetime status when DlA was applied for. I personally have friends that were awarded DLA for life but when summoned for assessment for PIP they have had the ENTIRE award taken away from them... Ask yourself this: How can the government NOW decide AFTER their doctors and specialists have examined and assessed the person that they are no longer in need? THESE ARE Doctors and Specialist THAT THE GOVERNMENT pay for their services so are the Government now saying they have NO TRUST in the people THEY employ??

Mencap opposes the Employment and Support Allowance cuts. It is not acceptable for an MP who promotes himself as patron of North Somerset branch of Mencap to vote in favour of cutting the incomes of the people that Mencap represents. https://www.mencap.org.uk/news/article/house-commons-vote-favour-esa-wrag-cuts-mencap-response Part 2 of the Capability for Work questionnaire specifically covers activities that the people who Mencap supports will be finding difficult. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/421191/esa-50-capability-for-work-questionnaire.pdf

George Osborne has announced plans to take £70 a week away from thousands of people with disabilities, by cutting Personal Independence Payments (PIP). For many of us, this will mean losing the crucial support which enables us to get out of the house. Many people in our area would be hit hard by this cut. This petition calls on our local MP to do all they can to stop this cruel and unfair plan. Please, show your support for local people with disabilities and help stop the cuts to PIP.

"Displaying intelligence" and "Enjoying reading and writing" are not grounds to dismiss a person with a disability who has clearly stated that they are unable to go about day-to-day living unaided. Denying this benefit to anybody who has been on DLA is in direct breach of basic human rights, and the rights of the disabled in particular. To cause futher stress to people with mental and physical limitations who may well be already battling with suicidal thoughts is tantamount to potential genocide of a vulnerable group of people. If not a war crime, it is most certainly premeditated murder.

Our Government are supposed to be a democratically elected Government working for and on behalf of the people of our nation. In reality, we have a wannabe Mafia, hellbent on privatising our NHS, privatising our schools and destroying our welfare state. In 2012, Justin Tomlinson, the Tories’ Swindon North MP, voted to prevent disabled children from receiving at least a two-third higher rate of universal credit. His vote to block this increase is one that will seriously hurt some of the poorest children in this country, for example, those who are deaf, have cerebral palsy or even Down’s Syndrome. In addition, he's reaffirmed his cynical approach by supporting the cuts in ESA. The title ‘Disabilities Minister’ can be confusing. People can be forgiven for believing that this job is one in which the holder will be an advocate for the disabled. However, he's failed on that, and as such, should resign his position in Government immediately. If you or I were to so inept in our jobs, we'd be sacked. Let's give him the opportunity to do the right thing and resign.

The cost of maintaining independence by disabled citizens is difficult enough without the added worry of further financial pressures from the chancellor. Why is it that the most vulnerable in our society continue to pay the cost of government's financial mismanagement? Where has the "fairer society" ideal gone?

Jo Churchill, MP voted through the cuts to the ESA (Employment Support Allowance) for new claimants in the WRAG (Work-Related Activity Group). It is hypocritical for Jo Churchill to be gaining positive publicity by participating in this organisation's fundraising event for people who may be left worse off by this bill. Headway's Chief Executive states: "Making cuts to benefits for disabled people who have been independently assessed as being unfit for work will cause unnecessary hardship, leading to isolation and anxiety, and potentially increase their long-term dependence on state support." https://www.headway.org.uk/news/national-news/government-forces-through-esa-benefit-cut/

No-one asks to be disabled. My partner has MS and was working right up until the disease struck. She bravely endures her disability, like many people do. Her ESA is a vital element to provide assistance and a small measure of Independence in a life, without which, would rapidly become completely joyless. Many other people rely upon this, too. This is not the action of a humane government.

The Bridge is a purpose built place for the Mentally ill people. It's an activity centre and a drop in centre with a cafe. The building is all on ground floor. There are gardens at the back and side for people to relax. The activities include Arts and Craft, Music Learning, Guitar Learning group - 'Dont Fret', Tabla (Indian drums) learning, Library, Choir meeting -- 'More than Just a Choir', WhyFI - for Paranoia, Pilates, Yoga, 30 Clients with Personal Independence Budgets attend for therapy. People with depression, Bipolar, Schizophrenia etc. etc. attend with great benefits to their daily life. The Northwick Park Hospital's Mental Heath Unit refers clients for further support from the services available at The Bridge. I had asked my family, two years ago, to take me to the Switzerland clinic to 'have me put down'. Then I heard of 'The Bridge' and attended the Choir -- ''More Than Just A Choir'' every Tuesday evening. This has turned my life around. The people receiving a great deal of therapeutic benefits will have to revert back to the overloaded GP services and the NHS -- waiting list. The attempt to close The Bridge will end up costing the community far greater!

The families of Corby depend upon the services provided by the local children's centres. Data shows that children in Corby statistically fair worse in education, income levels, life expectancy and health. Childrens centres mitigate against these challenges and further cuts to funding are unfair and indefensible.

Being a parent of a beautiful child that is currently going through this process I understand the complexities that arise from having a child that has different needs. It not only affects the individual but the whole family as a unit. Research tells us that THOUSANDS of young girls are getting misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed due to a lack of awareness and MALE BIASED assessments. Meanwhile this leaves the families crying out for help and more importantly our children suffering unnecessary anxiety, stress and a low quality of life. As a parent all we want is for our children to be safe, healthy and happy. Our children have a right to a fair assessment and service.The whole autism process is way too complicated, frustrating, inconsistent and can take years to attain a diagnosis. No diagnosis no help. Individuals with autism are NINE times more likely to die prematurely, with suicide being the principal cause. This figure could potentially be a lot HIGHER if girls are getting missed. Many girls will have either have been dismissed as a problem child or driven by their overwhelming anxiety and depression into an already underfunded mental health service. We as a society always focus on our physical wellbeing, yet both emotional and physical walk hand in hand. There is an urgent need for the government to address this GENDER BIAS and ensure ALL KEY PROFESSIONALS across the UK are trained and made aware of the differences. Additionally ALL AUTISM SCREENING TOOLS need to include the subtle autistic traits of girls to ensure fairness and consistency. Awareness, early diagnosis and intervention is all that is needed to help our children. Please sign this life changing petition to ensure that no female child or adult gets overlooked or misdiagnosed and suffer unnecessarily. http://network.autism.org.uk/knowledge/insight-opinion/interview-dr-judith-gould-women-and-girls http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15332985.2015.1031858 http://autismwomensnetwork.org/autistic-women-misdiagnosis-and-the-importance-of-getting-it-right/ http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/simons_simplex_community/autism_in_girls http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2016/apr/05/autism-learning-disability-premature-mortality

Without my car, I'm not safe. I use my vehicle to get to work, the supermarket, the shops, the cleaners, the hairdressers, to visit family, to volunteer, to do everything I need to do. Without my car, I cannot get about. I cannot safely walk to the bus stop, and should I use public transport I have no guarantee that my mobility will remain long enough for me to get to my destination or even get home. I've been stranded in city centres and other places because I used public transport and then wasn't strong enough to return to a bus stop and get home. Many people with motability vehicles rely on these to get by. Without my car, I couldn't work. If I can't work, I can't pay my rent. If I can't pay my rent, I don't have anywhere to live - disabled people are facing these choices today. Many disabled people have 'mild-moderate' support needs. That means, social services cannot afford to help them in this climate of cuts and their only way forward is disability benefits or a motability vehicle. Without the motability vehicle, we become vulnerable. We can exert ourselves, get weaker, get to a place where we become more reliant on the state, cannot work, cannot socialise and collectively cost more in healthcare. That argument doesn't matter though. What matters is that collectively we have a right and a need to access a full and equivalent life and bit by bit rights are being stripped away. Re-evaluate and stop removing people's motability cars.