A march for the Hardest Hit

Thursday 20 October 2011

Disabled people will protest across the UK this weekend

Disabled people across the UK are gearing up for a series of protests on Saturday (22 October).

On 11 May, about 8,000 people joined the Hardest Hit march in London (pictured), to protest about cuts to benefits and services affecting disabled people.

Now, the Hardest Hit campaign, run by the UK Disabled People’s Council and the Disability Benefits Consortium, is supporting local events across the UK.

Events are planned for 12 cities, including Cardiff, Brighton, Manchester, Newcastle, London, Birmingham and Belfast.

The events will highlight cuts to local services, and will also address the changes to disability benefits planned in the Welfare Reform Bill. Many disabled people are facing cuts to benefits including Disability Living Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.

Jane Alltimes, a Mencap senior campaigns and policy officer, said: "Following the Hardest Hit march in London in May, these regional events will enable even more people to come together and voice their concerns about cuts to the support disabled people get. Mencap is being contacted all the time by people with a learning disability and their families who are telling us that they feel 'squeezed' from all sides. People are seeing their social care support cut, as well as facing huge changes in relation to the welfare benefits they get. This is an incredibly worrying time and we hope lots of people come together on Saturday to express their views."

Find out more on the Hardest Hit website