Food Banks and Poverty- was Nye right?

youtu.be/jbq0bf2ptbA

So very sad reading these.
My brother whom I have already mentioned was one of these casualties. He died of a heart attack on Christmas day aged 52. We believe the stress of waiting months for an ESA tribunal contributed. My brother was a good steady worker and a lovely person who was embarrassed by claiming benefits and so degraded by the process.

I don't know if anyone has posted any of these examples already (sorry if they have) but:

2016 Guardian

"Mark Wood, 44, who had a number of complex mental health conditions, died at his home last August, months after an Atos fitness-for-work assessment found him fit for work. This assessment triggered a decision by the jobcentre to stop his sickness benefits, leaving him just £40 a week to live on. His housing benefits were stopped at around the same time.

The Oxfordshire coroner, Darren Salter, said that although it was impossible to identify the cause of death, it was probably "caused or contributed to by Wood being markedly underweight and malnourished". He weighed 5st 8lbs (35kg) when he died; his doctor said his body mass index was not compatible with life.

Wood, of Bampton, Oxfordshire, was not told his housing benefit and employment and support allowance (ESA) had been stopped, and struggled to survive on the £40-a-week disability allowance that remained. He was reluctant to ask relatives for help and they were unaware his benefits payments had been removed until shortly before he died.

Concerned about his patient's condition, Wood's doctor, Nicholas Ward, wrote a letter for Wood to pass to the jobcentre in support of his benefits application, stating that he was "extremely unwell and absolutely unfit for any work whatsoever".

It's not just lack of food that kills people - From the Black Triangle website:

Terry McGarvey, 48.
Dangerously ill from polycytheamia
Terry asked for an ambulance
to be called during his
Work Capability Assessment.
He knew that he wasn’t well enough
to attend his WCA
but feared his benefits
would be stopped if he did not.
He died the following day.

Elaine Lowe, 53.
Suffering from COPD
and fearful of losing her benefits.
In desperation,
Elaine chose to commit suicide.

Paul Reekie, 48
the Leith based Poet and Author.
Suffered from severe depression.
Committed suicide after DWP stopped his benefits
due to an Atos ‘fit for work’ decision.

Leanne Chambers, 30.
Suffered depression for many years
which took a turn for the worst
when she was called in for a WCA.
Leanne committed suicide soon after.

Karen Sherlock, 44.
Multiple health issues.
Found fit for work by Atos
and denied benefits.
Fought a long battle
to get placed into the support group of ESA.
Karen died the following month of a heart attack.

Carl Payne, 42.
Fears of losing his lifeline benefits
due to welfare reform
led this Father of two
to take his own life.

Tim Salter, 53.
Blind and suffering from Agoraphobia.
Tim hanged himself after Atos
found him fit for work
and stopped his benefits.

Edward Jacques, 47
suffering from HIV and Hepatitis C.
Edward had a history of severe depression and self-harm.
He took a fatal overdose after Atos
found him fit for work and stopped his benefits.

Linda Wootton, 49
A double heart and lung transplant patient.
Died nine days after government found her fit for work,
their refusal letter arriving as she lay
desperately ill in her hospital bed.

Steven Cawthra, 55.
His benefits stopped by the DWP and with rising debts,
he saw suicide as the only way out of a desperate situation.

Elenore Tatton, 39
Died just weeks after the government found her fit for work.

John Walker, 57,
saddled with debt because of the bedroom tax,
John took his own life.

Brian McArdle, 57
Suffered a fatal heart attack
the day after his disability benefits were stopped.

Stephen Hill, 53.
Died of a heart attack
one month after being found fit for work,
even though he was waiting for major heart surgery.

Jacqueline Harris, 53.
A former Nurse who could hardly walk
was found fit for work by Atos
and her benefits withdrawn.
in desperation, she took her own life.

David Barr, 28.
Suffering from severe mental difficulties.
Threw himself from a bridge
after being found fit for work by Atos
and failing his appeal.

David Groves, 56.
Died of a heart attack
the night before taking his work capability assessment.
His widow claimed that it was the stress that killed him.

Nicholas Peter Barker, 51.
Shot himself after being told
his benefits were being stopped.
He was unable to work after a brain haemorrhage
left him paralysed down one side.

Mark and Helen Mullins, 48 and 59 years old.
Forced to live on £57.50 a week
and make 12 mile trips each week
to get free vegetables to make soup.
Mark and Helen both committed suicide.

Richard Sanderson, 44.
Unable to find a job
and with his housing benefit cut
forcing him to move,
but with nowhere to go.
Richard committed suicide.

Martin Rust, 36
A schizophrenic man who killed himself
two months after the government found him fit to work.

Craig Monk, 43.
A vulnerable gentleman and a partial amputee
who slipped so far into poverty that he hanged himself.

Colin Traynor, 29,
suffering from epilepsy
was stripped of his benefits.
He appealed.
Five weeks after his death
his family found he had won his appeal.

Elaine Christian, 57
Worried about her work capability assessment,
she was subsequently found at Holderness drain,
drowned and with ten self inflicted wrist wounds.

Christelle and Kayjah Pardoe, 32 years and 5 month old.
Pregnant, her benefits stopped, Christelle,
clutching her baby son
jumped from a third floor balcony.

Mark Scott, 46.
His DLA and housing benefit stopped
and sinking into deep depression,
Mark died six weeks later.

Cecilia Burns, 51.
Found fit for work while undergoing
treatment for breast cancer.
She died just a few weeks after
she won her appeal against the Atos decision.

Chris Cann, 57.
Found dead in his home
just months after being told
he had to undergo
a medical assessment to prove
he could not work.

Peter Hodgson, 49.
Called to JCP to see if he was suitable for volunteer work.
Peter had suffered a stroke, a brain haemorrhage and had a fused leg.
His appointment letter arrived a few days after he took his own life.

Paul Willcoxsin, 33.
Suffered with mental health problems
and worried about government cuts.
Paul committed suicide by hanging himself.

Stephanie Bottrill, 53.
After paying £80 a month for bedroom tax,
Stephanie could not afford heating in the winter,
and lived on tinned custard.
In desperation,
she chose to walk in front of a lorry.

Larry Newman
suffered from a degenerative lung condition,
his weight dropping from 10 to 7 stone.
Atos awarded him zero points,
he died just three months after submitting his appeal.

Paul Turner, 52.
After suffering a heart attack,
he was ordered to find a job in February.
In April Paul died from ischaemic heart disease.

Christopher Charles Harkness, 39.
After finding out that the funding
for his care home was being withdrawn,
this man who suffered with mental health issues,
took his own life.

Sandra Louise Moon, 57.
Suffering from a degenerative back condition,
depression and increasingly worried
about losing her incapacity benefit.
Sandra committed suicide by taking an overdose.

Lee Robinson, 39.
Took his own life
after his housing benefit and council tax
were taken away from him.

David Coupe, 57.
A Cancer sufferer
found fit for work by Atos in 2012.
David lost his sight,
then his hearing,
then his mobility,
and then his life.

Michael McNicholas, 34.
Severely depressed and a recovering alcoholic.
Michael committed suicide
after being called in for a
Work Capability Assessment by Atos.

Victor Cuff, 59
suffering from severe depression.
Victor hanged himself
after the DWP stopped his benefits.

Charles Barden, 74.
Charles committed suicide by hanging
due to fears that the Bedroom Tax
would leave him destitute
and unable to cope.

Ian Caress, 43.
Suffered multiple health issues
and deteriorating eyesight.
Ian was found fit for work by Atos,
he died ten months later
having lost so much weight
that his family said
he resembled a concentration camp victim.

Iain Hodge, 30.
Suffered from the life threatening illness,
Hughes Syndrome.
Found fit for work by Atos and benefits stopped,
Iain took his own life.

Wayne Grew, 37.
Severely depressed due to government cuts
and the fear of losing his job,
Wayne committed suicide by hanging.

Kevin Bennett, 40.
Kevin a sufferer of schizophrenia and mental illness
became so depressed after his JSA was stopped
that he became a virtual recluse.
Kevin was found dead in his flat several months later.

David Elwyn Hughs Harries, 48.
A disabled man who could no longer cope
after his parents died,
could find no help from the government via benefits.
David took an overdose as a way out of his solitude.

Denis Jones, 58.
A disabled man crushed by the pressures of government cuts,
in particular the Bedroom Tax,
and unable to survive by himself.
Denis was found dead in his flat.

Shaun Pilkington, 58.
Unable to cope any more,
Shaun shot himself dead
after receiving a letter from the DWP
informing him that his ESA was being stopped.

Paul ?, 51.
Died in a freezing cold flat
after his ESA was stopped.
Paul appealed the decision and won
on the day that he lost his battle to live.

Chris MaGuire, 61.
Deeply depressed and incapable of work,
Chris was summonsed by Atos
for a Work Capability Assessment
and deemed fit for work.
On appeal, a judge overturned the Atos decision
and ordered them to leave him alone
for at least a year,
which they did not do.
In desperation,
Chris took his own life,
unable to cope anymore.

Peter Duut,
a Dutch national with terminal cancer
living in the UK for many years
found that he was not entitled to benefits
unless he was active in the labour market.
Peter died leaving his wife destitute,
and unable to pay for his funeral.

George Scollen, age unknown.
Took his own life
after the government closed
the Remploy factory
he had worked in for 40 years.

Julian Little, 47.
Wheelchair bound and suffering from kidney failure,
Julian faced the harsh restrictions of the Bedroom Tax
and the loss of his essential dialysis room.
He died shortly after being ordered to downgrade.

Miss DE, Early 50’s.
Suffering from mental illness,
this lady committed suicide less
than a month after an Atos assessor
gave her zero points and declared her fit for work.

Robert Barlow, 47.
Suffering from a brain tumour,
a heart defect and awaiting a transplant,
Robert was deemed fit for work by Atos
and his benefits were withdrawn.
He died penniless less than two years later.

Carl Joseph Foster-Brown, 58.
As a direct consequence
of the wholly unjustifiable actions of the Job centre and DWP,
this man took his own life.

Martin Hadfield, 20 years old.
Disillusioned with the lack of jobs available in this country
but too proud to claim benefits.
Utterly demoralised,
Martin took his own life by hanging himself.

Annette Francis, 30.
A mum-of-one suffering from severe mental illness,
found dead after her disability benefits were ceased.

Ian Jordan, 60.
His benefits slashed after Atos and the DWP declared Ian,
a sufferer of Barratt’s Oesophagus, fit for work,
caused him to run up massive debts in order to survive.
Ian was found dead in his flat after taking an overdose.

Janet McCall, 53.
Terminally ill with pulmonary fibrosis
and declared ‘Fit for Work’ by Atos and the DWP,
this lady died 5 months after
her benefits were stopped.

Stuart Holley, 23.
A man driven to suicide by the DWP’s incessant pressure
and threat of sanctions for not being able to find a job.

Graham Shawcross, 63.
A sufferer of the debilitating disease, Addison’s.
Died of a heart attack due to the stress of an Atos ‘Fit for Work’ decision.

David Clapson, 59 years old.
A diabetic ex-soldier deprived of the means to survive
by the DWP and the governments harsh welfare reforms,
David died all but penniless,
starving and alone,
his electricity run out.

Chris Smith, 59.
Declared ‘Fit for Work’ by Atos
as he lay dying of Cancer in his hospital bed.

Nathan Hartwell, 36
died of heart failure after an 18-month battle
with the ­Department for Works and Pensions.

Michael Connolly, 60.
A Father of One,
worried about finances after his benefits were cut.
Committed suicide by taking 13 times the fatal dose
of prescription medicine on His Birthday.

Jan Mandeville, 52
A lady suffering from Fibromyalgia,
driven to the point of mental and physical breakdown
by this governments welfare reforms.
Jan was found dead in her home
after battling the DWP for ESA and DLA.

Trevor Drakard, 50 years old.
A shy and reserved,
severe epileptic
who suffered regular
and terrifying fits almost his entire life,
hounded to suicide by the DWP
who threatened to stop his life-line benefits.

Death of a severely disabled Dorset resident, unnamed,
who took her own life while battling the bedroom tax.

blacktrianglecampaign.org
www.samaritans.org
08457 90 90 90

Good post MaisieD. And workers rights are diminishing.....

Community work
Perhaps we could go back to the days of the Poor Laws and get ideas on how to deal with this nuisance of people who "make a mess of their lives" and make them suffer some more for being so stupid and such an inconvenience.

Perhaps people could look at the statistics.

If they’re capable of work, then they should and thereby more money,

But one of the problems is that there aren't enough adequately paid jobs around. The tories got rid of loads of jobs with their idiotic 'austerity' police;, police, teachers & teaching assistants, librarians, leisure centre staff etc. etc. You name it, if it was a state funded enterprise its budget was cut and that resulted in job losses. Of course, once the state funded jobs went the money to support the private enterprises which either supplied the public service, or provided goods and services for the publicly funded employees to buy with their wages, also shrank. Cutting back on public spending shrank the economy.

So all these redundant workers are scrabbling about for tuppeny hapenny jobs, zero hours contracts, 'self employment' as uber drivers or pizza deliverers or working every minute of their shift in 'fulfilment centres'. Get my drift? Meaningless, soul destroying, poorly paid jobs, insecure, no holiday or sickness pay, etc. All scrabbling for the reduced share of money in the economy. (Don't believe people who smugly tell you that the UK has low unemployment; you are counted as 'in work' if you work for *one hour a fortnight*).

Community work? Wonderful idea... A snag, though, who is going to fund it? Who is going to pay these people a wage that restores their ability to cope and their self respect?

The exchanges on here remind me of a thread a while back when I happened to state what I thought was the bleeding obvious.

I had said that I thought women should only have children if they could afford them.

Honestly, the outcry that caused was unbelievable.

I have now accepted that a number of people believe that the State should bail people out of whatever mess they have made of their lives.

I guess that in a nutshell is the difference between a Socialist and a Conservative mindset.

No doubt you will approve of this.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2018/jun/28/two-child-policy-costs-families-thousands-financial-support-figures-show

No, just less ‘baby-daddies’.

Perhaps we need a Poor House for the surplus children Urmstongran

As I have said its a minority. You can't punish the innocent. You haven't a clue Urmstongran if you think lots of people are getting tattoos and gel nails on benefits. I would laugh if it wasn't so serious. One of my young relatives had the task of visiting those in rent arrears to discuss the problem and was shocked at how poor some are and the conditions in which they live. Things are going backwards in this country. Fact.

Certainly some people get by quite nicely on benefits but they are a minority

Why a minority? Living on benefits is proven to be a lifestyle choice in some families. Tattoos aren’t cheap. Acrylic nails. Several children - sometimes with no daddy around to financially support said children. Never mind, the state can be ‘dad’!

Growstuff. If they’re capable of work, then they should and thereby more money, which in turn would be used positively in the economy. Simple as. If no formal jobs, then something that benefits the individual as well as their community. Introduce the concept of pride through achievement, a positive. What’s positive about upping handouts. I repeat differentiation is needed to determine those in real need from the shirkers.

I'm afraid I have to break my promise to myself not to post.
My brother was a hard worker but didn't earn enough to save. He rented. Every time he was ill he had to go home to live with mum as he got £65 SSP a week to live on and couldn't afford his rent. My brother was lucky. What if you had no one to turn too.
Also I am on a forum of people with a long term illness. Many of them are very poor.
Some people need to listen to the truth. Certainly some people get by quite nicely on benefits but they are a minority. No system is ever foolproof but you can't stop helping those in need because a few abuse the system.
Too many people lack compassion.

I haven’t derided anyone or any group.

OK, I take your point. I've NEVER seen you express compassion. I don't understand people like you. Hate the vulnerable, total coldness.

Why???? Humans are social creatures. We are designed to interact and care for others. And yet...

express compassion towards Boris

Eh? Boris doesn’t need compassion! I’ve never expressed compassion towards him. How daft would that be? He hasn’t ever needed it. He’s a leader. He won!

I have only seen you express compassion towards Boris or other Tory politicians. None towards the disabled, the impoverished elderly, the homeless. In fact, you heap derision on them.

I am definitely not a selfish person.

Selfishness even.

So much not giving a s**t. Beyond belief.

You may call it cynicism GagaJo. I call it pragmatism.

I always wear a seat belt. I’m not stupid.

Your cynicism is astounding Urmstongran.

There's a book called The Rational Optimist that I mean to read one day.

*Lets think now Baggs......a dog or spice......maybe the dog.
Is there seriously something wrong with you.*

Knew someone would react like that. Daftly.

Does spice mean drugs in this context?