ACT NOW!

Planned Government Cuts to Disability Welfare

Updated 25 June 2025

​​​​​​​DASH and NAWM are asking for an urgent call to action to support Disabled artists, arts workers and audiences, who are facing the biggest cuts to disability benefits on record.

If we want a truly diverse and inclusive visual arts sector, we need to raise visibility and act now. We have a small window over the next ten days to exert influence, before MPs vote on the most damaging of the proposals on 1st July.

We are sharing resources and meaningful actions you can take as disabled people or allies.

As well as explaining which benefits will be affected, the resources provide practical suggestions as to how we can act to resist these cuts and support those facing the additional challenges brought about by them.

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If you want to know more:

• See Unlimited’s brilliant message, published in April, which is full of background info, detailed stats, resources and suggestions​​​​​​​​​.
  
  
• Read the Benefits and Work Green Paper Progress Update (published 3 June 2025)
  
  
• Read this Corridor 8 article by Abi Palmer, which reflects on a life spent in the welfare system in a piece supported by DASH to explore the impact of PIP cuts on disabled artists.​​​
  
  
• Read this Art Review article by Alice Hattrick
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• Read this Frieze article by Mariana Lemos
  
  
• Watch the recording of the parliamentary debate called by Diane Abbott MP or read the transcript
  
  
• Read the Disability Arts Online Access to Work resources page. Changes to Access to Work are also part of the Green Paper, and Decode are providing further information on how to respond to this section.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  
  

If you want to take action (most of these take 2-5 minutes):

• Email your MP (Find your MP). This action is URGENT because the most damaging cuts aren’t being consulted on. They will only go to an MP vote at the beginning of July. In your email, please explicitly ask your MP to vote against the cuts and ask them to reply stating how they will vote.
  
  A short personal email is best, but if you need a template, Scope, and Inclusion London have them. Please do personalise subject lines and templates to ensure they don’t get blocked. Encourage others to write to their MPs too. We are seeing that a critical mass of individuals contacting MPs is having an impact.

• Get involved with disabled-led organisations e.g. DPAC or CAC
  
  
• Respond to the government’s Green Paper consultation, which is asking for feedback on some of the cuts. Deadline 11:59 pm 30th June. Disability Rights UK have created this info document. It's incredibly important that Disabled people are part of the decision-making processes that affect our lives.
  
  Here are some other resources to help you to complete the consultation:
  - DAO and Decode's guidance relating to chapter 4 (Access to Work). Scroll to the bottom of this page for further resources.
  - ​​​​​​​Campaign for Disability Justice Green Paper 2025 – Pathways to Work response, covering the whole consultation; includes an easy read version.
  
  
• Visit the Taking The Pip website to view a list of info and actions ​​​​​​​​​​​.​​​​​​​​
  
  
• Sign petitions - here are a few: Parliamentary petition (to Abandon DWP Pathways to Work Green Paper & create National Disability Strategy, and Parliamentary petition (to Protect Disabled people who cannot work from planned cuts to benefits); ​​​​​​​Organise. You might like to prioritise the two Parliamentary petitions to ensure they reach the threshold for debate.
  (Scope's petition has now closed with over 100,000 people signing.)
  
  
• If you're an artist or arts worker, you can contribute an anonymous testimonial about your experiences of PIP to this campaign, started by Leah Clements, Jamila Prowse, Mariana Lemos and Jade Foster.
  
  
• Sign this open letter, if you are disabled or a health professional (or send on to people you know who are).
  
  
• Sign the Open Letter about Access to Work
  
  
• Post about this crisis on socials (LinkedIn, Instagram etc.) to spread the word and keep it at the forefront of people’s minds, linking to useful stats, resources, petitions, art writing and news articles etc.
  Use these hashtags: #StopTheCuts #MassLobbyAgainstBenefitCuts #MassLobby #BenefitCuts #AgainstCuts #GreenPaper #DisabilityJustice #SocialSecurity #CripsAgainstCuts #SocialJusticeUK #TakeAction #WelfareNotWarfare
  
  
• If you’re part of a union, urge them to raise their voice publicly against the cuts. For example, the London Fire Brigade Union have openly called on Labour MPs to vote against the cuts.
  
  
• Donate to Disabled People’s Organisations who are actively fighting the cuts e.g. DPAC, Inclusion London, Scope.
  
  
• Invite your friends, colleagues and associates to take action and signpost them to the resources highlighted here.
  
  
• Reach out/check in with Disabled/Deaf/Neurodivergent/chronically ill friends and colleagues to show solidarity and support. Don’t ask them what you can do. Use this list as a resource to decide what you can/want to do. If you can, let them know what actions you are taking and that they aren’t fighting this alone.