The government’s proposed changes to disability benefits. Upcoming local elections in May. April is autism acceptance month. Updates at Politics for All. This is your March newsletter.
Changes to benefits – and what you can do to stop them
We know that for so many this news is scary and worrying. You are not alone.
Disabled people’s organisation Scope has published a guide on the changes to disability benefits. You can also read the official government paper but note that more accessible versions of the document have not yet been released.
It is important to note that these changes will not happen straight away, but from 2026 and 2027. The government are consulting on some of the proposed changes. And for some of the changes to happen, they would need to win a vote in Parliament. This means there are actions we can take to try and prevent the changes. Here a few:
- Sign Scope’s petition
- Also on Scope – Get your MP to act against the cuts
- Respond to the consultation by 30th June 2025. More accessible versions of the consultation will be out soon
- Crips Against Cuts are campaigning against these cuts and have held recent protests – online and in person. You can follow Crips Against Cuts on Instagram or access their other socials and links by visiting their linktree.
If you are struggling with your mental health reach out to your GP. You can also access support online from Mind, and the Samaritans. You can text ‘Shout’ to 85258 for urgent mental health support from Shout.
A graphic from the Electoral Commission, featuring a large purple ballot box with a plain white piece of paper sticking out. At the bottom is the Electoral Commission’s logo and the ‘Your vote matters don’t lose it’ slogan in capitals with a small X on a white piece of paper.
Upcoming local elections
On Thursday 1st May, local elections are taking place in many areas across England.
Make sure you are eligible to vote and have registered (if you are not already). Then come up with a voting plan – are you voting in person, by post or by proxy. After that, make sure you are ready to follow your plan – think photo identification and deadlines to apply.
Useful sources of information:
- Government website – They also have easy read documents about registering to vote
- Electoral Commission
- My Vote My Voice – Provide easy ready guides on registering to vote and voting
Autism Acceptance
Although every month should be autism acceptance month, today is the start of World Autism Acceptance Month (WAAM).
You can go to the National Autistic Society’s website for resources for schools and workplaces. Want to raise money? You can sign up to a sponsored 5km walk in April or fundraise in your own way by heading to the charity’s dedicated WAAM website.
On a white background is Politics for All’s logo, featuring a stylised globe divided into blue and green sections, with two raised hands in the centre and checked boxes to illustrate voting and more generally politics. Below the globe, the text “politics for all” is written in bold, black and capitalised letters.
And finally – here at Politics for All
We have been busy – holding team meetings and working on our campaign to make constituencies disability inclusive. We are also updating our website, so bear with us as it is a work-in-progress.
We have decided to use Substack for our monthly newsletter. We hope you like it too!
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