A Scunthorpe man has received a 40% cut in benefits after he was diagnosed with cancer, leaving him in serious financial distress during his battle with a disease that killed his father and brother. To add insult the injury, the DWP told him that he could return to his previous level of benefits, provided he gave up treatment and complied with the Jobseeker’s programme.
The Tale of Pete Woodcock
The internet has been buzzing with outrage over the DWP’s treatment of Pete Woodcock, together with a disgraceful level of judgement that Mike Sivier highlights with his usual elegance over at Vox Political.
Pete has been unemployed for eight years, but volunteers 40 hours each week in his community. When he was diagnosed with cancer he needed to stop attending his jobs club and cut back on volunteering to accommodate his treatment and necessary respite. The DWP’s response was to slash his benefits by 40% as he moved from Jobseeker benefits, to sickness benefits. He told the Scunthorpe Telegraph:
“I have just lately been diagnosed with cancer. I’ve had numerous hospital visits on both sides of the Humber and because of my hospital visits been unable to attend job clubs. Hence I had to sign on sickness pay.”
“When a person has cancer the last thing a person needs to worry about is finances but I now have to look after my family, pay bills and finance my trips to hospitals on less than £100 per week.”Read more...
