Mencap were one of many charities to hand in a petition at Westminster today, to demand action be taken to
protect
Protect means keeping someone or something safe.
the lives of thousands of people across the UK, as bills continue to rise.
Mencap joined up with health, children’s, older people charities and anti-poverty
organisations
Organisations are groups like companies and businesses.
to ask
the Government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much
tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like
income tax
Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools.
,
VAT
VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals.
and
council tax
Council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
Tax is the money that people pay to the
council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
.
people should pay and how things like the National Health
Service
A service gives people what they need, like healthcare services that help people when they are ill, and support services that give people support.
(
NHS
The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals.
) should work.
for a robust plan of action to protect people on the lowest incomes in the coming months.
Currently, people with a learning disability and their families and carers are not getting the support they need to combat the rising costs of living, with the most recent promise of a £150 payment not enough to cover the projected thousands that this winter’s bills will cost. Mencap and the charity coalition are calling for fast, direct action to protect those who need it most, before the colder months hit.
Collectively, the coalition is calling on the
Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is the leader of the government.
to:
1. Make Friday’s ‘fiscal event’ a full emergency
budget
A budget is a plan where you look at how much money you have and how you will spend it.
that thoroughly addresses the cost-of-living crisis
2. Announce an immediate boost to Universal Credit and other benefits
3. Freeze bills, get the energy cap under control and fix our broken energy system
Research
Research is a way of finding out information which could come from books, or asking people what they think.
shows that disabled people face extra costs of up to £583 a month more than non-disabled people. Many people with a learning disability face significant barriers to accessing financial support, while some pay 40% of their income from benefits to councils through social care charging.
While the Government has previously encouraged people to seek work as a resolution to their financial woes, for many people with a learning disability this simply isn’t an option; only 5.1% of people with a learning disability known to adult social care are in work while over 60% people who were referred to foodbanks in early 2020 were disabled.
Edel Harris OBE, Chief Executive of Mencap, said: “The Government support offered doesn't go far enough for people with a learning disability, their families and carers, as they struggle to cope with the pressures of this crisis. How will people with a learning disability be able to afford the increase in bills? Will social security payments be uprated in line with inflation so people with a learning disability don’t have to choose between food and heating, when for many, options to increase income through
employment
Employment means having a job.
are not a possibility? What additional support will social care providers be given to see the sector through this winter, when tackling a workforce crisis and raised energy bills?
“We need urgent clarity on these questions to provide certainty to those with a learning disability and their families. Anxiety is high. The Government needs to take further action to make sure they aren’t priced out and forgotten. We hope that Friday’s ‘emergency budget’ will step up support for people with a learning disability and help them to weather the storm that lies ahead.”
