The DWP’s Green Paper consultation programme hit a new low yesterday when police were called to deal with protestors who wanted to join a half-empty meeting in Manchester.

ITV news filmed protestors from Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) outside the Crown Plaza hotel  where the in-person consultation was being held.  The protestors wanted to be allowed into the meeting to have their voices heard.

Inside the building, Benefits and Work readers tell us that there were only 10 out of an expected 20 attendees present.  DWP staff blamed the protestors outside, claiming they had “scared off” other attendees although there appears to have been absolutely no evidence that this was the case.

One told us the meeting was 40 minutes late starting but still ended on time and that the one DWP representative leading a discussion group ate their lunch during the meeting.  

Another reader told us there were approximately 20 DWP representatives at the meeting and that, in the end they let in around 15 of the DPAC protestors in just to make up numbers.

Attendees were split into groups and a DWP representative simply took them through the consultation questions relating to chapters 2-4 of the Green Paper and noted their answers.

One attendee described it as “an exam-like experience”.

The next in-person event is due to take place at an undisclosed location in Plymouth on Tuesday 13 May.

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 days ago
    These people are playing with our lives and treating it as an inconvenience. Absolutely disgusting.
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    · 5 days ago
    Why is the next meeting at an ‘undisclosed location’. It’s a public body not a private corporation. The general public have a right to know where meetings are held and FOI should be used to force this. After all, it’s the public purse who pays!
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    · 7 days ago
    I've just been to the consultation in Leeds it was nearly empty..there were people outside who wanted to come in ..we're not allowed  the fasciltators were great but really did not understand benefits especially when faced with two working disabled who basically informed them that we would like to know where all these jobs were supposed to come from and how Access to work actually worked..didn't work disheartening that you actually couldn't have a really productive discussion with the DWP..I really should know better by now 
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    · 7 days ago
    there was a similar situation at the "consultation" in plymouth - suddenly 8(!) police cars showed up and they tried hard to escalate while the protestors were all trying to de-escalate, and people tried to claim assault when they just got in the way of moving wheelchairs and so on - not sure whether a press release has happened yet about this one 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 18 days ago
    The Manchester Evening News covered the protest and quoted benefits and work after I mentioned its campaigning work
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 19 days ago
    I was at this protest and we faced an attempt by the hotel security and manager to prevent us getting into the building and after 20 minutes they relented and let us in. Then once inside the cops were called on us. Then we spent 40-50 minutes arguing with the DWP official in charge of the event as to why we should have been let into the meeting. Eventually he relented and we all went inside and then talked about all the issues which were being ignored by the sham consultation. 
    The Disability News Service covered our protest which goes to show how you can subvert the DWP's attempt to prevent disabled people having their voices heard.

    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 19 days ago
      @Bronc I'm going to the consultation in Cardiff on 3rd June. Hope there's a protest there too. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 19 days ago
      @Bronc Thank you Bronc - hope to get to a meeting myself. Sorry to have missed Diane Abbott's stand on Tuesday.  
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 19 days ago
      @Bronc Great work @Bronc.
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      · 19 days ago
      @Bronc Saw it on ITV. You legends. Thank you. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 days ago
    I was at the "Consultation" meeting in Manchester.  I arrived around 12 30.  The meeting room had seats for around 100 people.   On my table was myself and two DWP employees.  I had applied to attend,  and apparently I was one of 20 people who had been sent an invite to attend 

    The meeting started late, I assumed there would be a presentation but instead the DWP staff worked their way through the Green Paper points open for consultation and asked me for my comments.

    After about 30 minutes,  the meeting was interrupted and we were asked if we objected to some of the protesters joining the meeting.  We voted on this, and then the protesters joined us.

    Obviously they wanted to discuss the points that were not open to consultation.  The DWP scribe made notes of all the discussions,  but did not say what would happen to these notes.

    After we came out of the meeting one police matrix van was still there, and the protesters were standing round chatting.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 19 days ago
      @HELEN FISHER This is very enlightening, thank you. It’s scandalous that there was space for 100 and so few enabled to attend. The media should hear about this
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 days ago
    Another consultation where only half the expected number of participants were able to attend.

    Something starting to smell very fishy.
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    · 20 days ago
    Just watched the ITV news report - really pleased they covered this properly!!
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    · 20 days ago
    A legitimate protest by dpac. Contrast: a demonstration by the state of how they'd like things to be managed. Frightening.
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    · 20 days ago
    Imagine having to call the police on disabled protesters. You’re hardly dealing with Mike Tyson, are you?
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    · 20 days ago
    How disrespectful eating your lunch in the middle of it! Sounds like it’s a tick box exercise to show they have engaged with disabled people. 
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    · 20 days ago
    Thank you DPAC. I hope that those making these plans will be shown up more and more in public. 
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    · 20 days ago
    Stage managed for propaganda! Shocking 
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