Letters: The DWP needs to be kind – instead of making people’s lives difficult

Big Issue readers offer solidarity in dealing with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) applications and have their say on the issues arising from the general election.

DWP claimant solidarity

I was very impressed with the letter from the anonymous autistic person and their fears about the DWP making changes to benefits. The DWP make applications and interviews extremely awkward and difficult. Being autistic is hard enough without the stress of an interview with an assessor, it’s made worse when they don’t listen to you and rush you.

I am a disabled claimant, although I am not autistic. But I really understand where they are coming from. I also suffer with my mental health, and I find the interviews so stressful. Should you ask the assessor to slow down, or listen to what you are trying to say, they make it clear that they don’t want to continue with the interview, and that your attitude may affect your benefits.  

Many years ago, this was the situation that I found myself in. Distressingly, someone I know went through virtually the same scenario recently, despite many years having passed (I am now 68), the department managers and assessors haven’t learnt anything. Instead of making people’s lives difficult, they need to be kind and try to understand the stress that claimants are going through. They also need to listen to the claimant, and not dismiss the points that they’re trying to make. 

I do not get why they don’t record every interview, providing the claimant with a copy. That way, either side could update the information and it would be on record. People would be more relaxed, get their points across and have proof of what was said. Obviously, the cost would need to be covered by the DWP, but the time saved would be huge. It would also stop the stress of waiting for months, not knowing if a claim was successful. 

Eileen Jones 

Election reactions

Labour got in thanks to Reform voters splitting the Tory vote. Ironically millions of people becoming more right-wing led to a Labour government, thanks to first-past-the-post. 

Labour have a huge majority and potentially the support of Liberal Democrat MPs to help pass as much progressive legislation as possible over the next four years; budgets that
actually help people. 

Matthew Coussell, Facebook 

Well, the Conservative party have been screwing things up for the past 14 years so Keir Starmer’s got a lot to fix. Maybe he can restore people’s faith that not all politicians are lying scum and show that he can put the British people first. After all, they are elected by the people, so they should do what is best for us and the country, which is something that has been ignored for years. I know it won’t happen
overnight but I’m willing to show a little faith and patience. Let’s see what happens. 🤞 

Dale Brown, Facebook 

I am hoping the Conservatives learn from this defeat and do not pave the way to an alternative party which wants to dismantle the NHS and is considering cutting many benefits. I am a centre-left voter, happy with the result – but sometimes we have to keep feeding the wolves to stop the bears from taking over. 

xmintyx, Reddit

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It’s unfair for everyone to think a new government can fix 14 years of incompetence overnight, let alone in their first five years. 

Everyone should expect a lot of the same excuses the Tories gave which is ‘we are still dealing with sh*t left over from the last Labour government’. 

So expect a lot of ‘we were handed this disaster from the last Conservative government’ for at least five years. The Tories have brought the UK to its knees and they WILL blame it all on Labour. It may take two terms of any other party to wade through all of it, untangle it and fix it, but we should see things improve slowly. 

After 20 years in England, I have come to realise the people here believe anything a posh, Eton-educated or rich Tory tells them simply because they are posh, Eton-educated or rich. 

Think of the UK as a house the Tories trashed by having a 14-year-long party for them and their mates. Then when they’re chucked out, blaming the damage on the new tenants. That is exactly what the Tories do… it is always someone else’s fault and they take no responsibility for their actions. 

Bamboo_Steamer, Reddit 

Dealing with food poverty is crucial. I’m deeply upset by the way universal credit and other benefits are stopped when there is a change. This drives people to food banks because they are not getting the timely support they had been promised and need. Huge numbers in our society are only “just about managing”. Theresa May recognised this but successive leaders have not taken any effective action to deal with this issue. Shame on them. I hope and pray that the new government closes this appalling loophole. 

Nigel Rees, Yeovil 

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about the DWP, or any of the topics raised? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.