CVT at Hardest Hit march
MEMBERS of our Delrow Community and CVT chairman Chris Cook marched on Parliament with the Hardest Hit march and lobby on 11th May to voice their concerns about the proposed changes to disability benefits in the coalition government’s Welfare Reform Bill.
Alex Brown, Andrew Brown, Imogen Fletcher and Martin Rawlinson from Delrow Community, Watford, were supported by co-workers Simone Kenney and Manu Treimer. They, and Chris Cook, joined thousands of people with disabilities from all over the country, their families, carers and all the major charities on what proved to be the largest-ever disability protest march on Parliament.
The aim of the protest was to tell MP’s that the support benefits for people with disabilities are essential to their everyday lives, and cuts in support will place many disabled people and their carers in poverty. People with disabilities are already on low incomes and the government’s proposals will reduce incomes for them and their families by an estimated £9 billion over the next four years.
“There was an impressive turnout for the march and all the disability charities were there,” Chris Cook said. “I had hoped to be able to meet the MP for Malton, where we have The Croft Community and where the CVT office is based, to explain my concerns about what is happening to people’s benefits. Although I didn’t meet her, I hope MP’s will listen to the very real concerns that people with disabilities have about the welfare reforms.”
At the end of the march, participants could have their say in a ‘Speakers Corner’ in the Victoria Tower Gardens adjacent to the Houses of Parliament. Delrow’s Martin Rawlinson took his opportunity at the microphone to put forward his point of view to the assembled protesters.
Click here to see video coverage of the march on the Guardian’s website. We’ll have some pictures from the march shortly, so come back to see them.