The government is talking about welfare reform.
If changes are made to benefits, the changes need to be made in a way that doesn’t harm people or put them at risk.
We at Grace Eyre are concerned about some of the proposed changes. We will be contributing to the response to the consultation with the Regional Stakeholder South East group.
We encourage everyone to get involved and have their say.
What’s happening
The government is asking people to share what they think about changes to benefits as part of a consultation.
A consultation means that there is a process of asking people what they think about the suggested changes.
It is important to say that the changes are not happening yet.
The earliest that the changes could be in place is April 2026. This means there will be no immediate changes for anyone.
The consultation is being done until 30th June 2025. Then the government will decide on the final plans.
How you can take action
The time to act is now. Here are some things that you can do.
1. Sign a petition
We encourage everyone to sign the Cost of Cuts petition created by our friends at disability charity Scope.
2. Write to your Member of Parliament
You can write to your MP to ask them to support disabled people. Look up your MP and their contact details here.
If you have a Labour MP, Scope have also created a template to make contacting them online as simple as possible.
At the link below, you can fill in your details and personal comments, then, if you have a Labour MP, it will suggest some wording and find their contact details so you can send it to them directly.
3. Respond to the consultation yourself
You can read and respond to the consultation yourself online, by email or by post.
Make sure to do this by 30th June 2025 at 11:59 pm.
Respond to the consultation online
4. Attend a consultation event yourself in person or online
A consultation is a chance for you to tell people what you think. For this consultation, the Government is running events in person or online. If you have already booked, you can find out more and share your views at one of these events.
All consultation events are now closed for new sign-ups. However, Grace Eyre staff and ambassadors will be attending some of the events and will report back.
We will also share details here if we hear of further helpful events and meetings.
5. Attend a local protest
Grace Eyre will aim to organise a presence in any local protests. At the protests, we will challenge negative assumptions and stereotypes used against our community.
6. Sign an open letter
The Campaign for Disability Justice is inviting members of the public to sign an open letter supporting their response to the Pathways to Work consultation.
Find out more
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about this benefits campaign, please contact Emma Willcocks, Head of Our Voices, at ewillcocks@grace-eyre.org or on 07848 456 103.
Useful links
- Pathways to work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working – Easy Read version
- Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper – GOV.UK
- Learning Disability England’s Easy Read information and on responding to the Welfare Reform Green Paper, including further links: Welfare Reform Green Paper: Learning Disability England Response – Learning Disability England