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FREEFREE Take a Takecopy a Exclusive: copy CUCFS Charity reveal Remembering Kobe Vulture 32-33 Sport 40 Behind the lens No. 878 White Lies Friday 31st January 2020 with varsity.co.uk Music 20 Cambridge’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1947 Government disability bene ts scheme continually fails Cambridge student is comes ater Cambridge MP Daniel Sophie Huskisson Zeichner raised the case in parliament Senior News Editor on Tuesday. Ward was unable to do a year abroad, Anna Ward, an MML undergraduate at a compulsory part of the MML degree, Emmanuel College, has been battling due to a requirement of receiving PIP with the Department for Work and Pen- bene ts stating that you cannot leave sions (DWP) since April last year ater the country for more than 12 weeks they unexpectedly stopped receiving at a time. Ward planned to split their their Personal Independence Payments year abroad into time periods less than of £77 a week. 12 weeks long up until July last year, Although the process should take but had to end this arrangement early three months from start to nish, Ward when the DWP cancelled their bene ts explained they have only received a date in April. for a home visit to assess their eligibil- ▲ Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson , said they are “urgently investigating” ity for receiving PIP bene ts this week. Full story on page 2 ▶ New funding boost to ‘innovatively’ ght homelessness in Cambridge £486,457 will go towards enhancing age one Cambridgeshire family becomes already earmarked by the Council for ad- “more funding is being allocated to serv- Victor Jack current projects and developing new homeless every ve hours. dressing homelessness, and will extend ices that have been underfunded and Senior News Editor ones such as the creation of nine new “We anticipate this will have a posi- seven existing roles beyond March 2021 overstretched for so long”. paid roles to support current and former tive immediate impact on homelessness in addition to the nine new positions. e new roles will primarily support Cambridge City Council is set to rough sleepers. in the city,” Richard Johnson, the City “I’m thrilled by the news,” said Ro- current and former homeless people launch a number of new initiatives for A 2018 report found Cambridge is the Council’s Executive Councillor for Hous- shni Atwal, President of Streetbite, a in 34 new units of accommodation, tackling homelessness in the city, ater UK’s most unequal city, with a th of the ing, told Varsity. Cambridge student-run society, which situated all around the city in clus- a successful bid for funding from the population earning just 2% of the city’s “It provides enhanced support options distributes hot food and drinks to the ters of ve or six, with the rst units government. total income. Homeless deaths in Cam- for people on the street, new pathways for city’s homeless community and aims expected to be ready by this summer. e Ministry of Housing, Communi- bridge are twice the national average, people to leave… and to stay o the street.″ to develop relationships with them. ties and Local Government’s grant of while the latest gures show on aver- e funding complements £750,000 Atwal added how important it is that News page 3 ▶ Inside ● Talking about PCOS Pg.12 ● King’s Meadow Pg.15 ● Navigating science and health in an age of fake news Pg.10 2 Friday 31st January 2020 News “Unacceptable”: Zeichner takes Cambridge undergraduate’s case to the Commons They were given an appointment in Ward wanted to file a complaint had received an apology and a con- to a tribunal at the Cambridge Magis- ▶ Continued from front page an assessment centre in Haverhill, in December, but said they never re- firmed date for a home assessment trates’ Court. hey won the case and which can take Ward over an hour ceived the paperwork necessary to when Varsity contacted. Following entered a three year beneit scheme. Despite being told in 2017 that their to get to, having to rely on public make a complaint, which they had this, they rang IAS on Wednesday Between July and September 2018, benefits would last until the end of transport. asked IAS to send. Ward contacted and were told that they had an ap- 72% of people who appealed after June 2019, Ward received another let- Ward repeatedly contacted IAS to Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner this pointment for the 11th February being turned down for PIP won their ter informing them that the benefits tell them they would not be able to January for help and support, who which had been allocated to them case. would actually end early in April 2019. make the appointment and again re- contacted IAS. on Monday, the day before Zeichner PIP is a government benefit scheme The DWP told them they would send quested a home assessment. When The manager he spoke to agreed had raised their case in the House of that helps people if they have long them forms to renew their benefits Ward became increasingly upset on that the length of Ward’s wait was Commons. term ill-health or a disability, giving within two weeks, but Ward did not the phone, they were put through to concerning, pledging to investigate Ward was concerned that had they them between £23.30 and £148.85 a receive the forms until the end of a suicide line, where a home visit was it further by classing it as a com- not indirectly found out about the week if they’re aged 16 or over and June. agreed. Ward emphasised to Varsity plaint. result of Zeichner’s intervention, then have not reached State Pension age. The DWP were not immediately that they had not been threatening to Zeichner raised Ward’s “unaccept- they would not have contacted the as- It is run by the DWP, the government available for comment. take their own life, but that they had able” treatment in the House of Com- sessment centre and found out about department responsible for welfare Ward explained that the forms are expressed they could not continue mons on Tuesday. At the dispatch box, the new assessment date. Although and pension policy. a 40-page booklet which you are given without their benefits, and needed Minister for Disabled People, Justin IAS told them they were due to re- Ward explained that gaining PIP one month to complete. All the paper- them to live, to buy food, and to pay Tomlinson replied: “We are urgently ceive a letter, Ward said that letters was not just about the money but that work has to be done by hand, making for their wheelchair. investigating as this shouldn’t be in from IAS can take a long time to proc- eligibility for a lot of other support, it difficult for disabled people. Ward Ward was appointed a home visit the case.” ess and don’t always arrive. including blue badges, and disabled said they had to get someone to write in October, 6 months after beginning In a press release Zeichner said he An Independent Assessment Serv- railcard and bus passes, often ask for the forms for them. the process of requesting their bene- received an apology “following the ices spokesperson told Varsity: “We proof of receipt of PIP. Once they had sent off the forms, fits. This visit was cancelled less than exchange in the Commons”. However, are looking into this case however The DWP, PIP schemes, and the Ward was handed over to the Inde- 24 hours before due to the assessor Ward says they have not personally we are absolutely committed to pro- outsourcing companies that run as- pendent Assessment Services (IAS), being ill. Their appointment was re- received an apology from the DWP viding a professional and compas- sessments have faced much criticism; which is run by Atos Healthcare, a scheduled to December, which was and commented that “the apology sionate service for each and every the Disability News Service reported last European multinational firm whose again cancelled because an assessor given was to [Zeichner] and not to claimant.” week that Atos did not make it clear services are outsourced by the gov- was not available less than 48 hours me”. While Ward is pleased they have a that the disabled person must attend ernment, where they began “battle before it was due to take place. Zeichner said: “It shouldn’t take an home visit conirmed, they said the a face-to-face PIP assessment and the two”. Ward said they spent their Christ- MP asking questions in the Commons process is only about halfway through, DWP lost a court case on Wednesday Ward’s request for a home assess- mas feeling very stressed that they to sort out this kind of incompetence and that they still have the assessment after it was found to have unlawfully ment was denied; they were told would miss updates sent by post to which leads to financial and mental and decision to wait for, admitting that discriminated against thousands of they were a university student and their Cambridge address and regu- stress for disabled people just trying they don’t have “high hopes.” Ward’s disabled people who were left finan- so should be able to get out of the larly called the Emma porters to ask to get on.” previous beneit claim in 2015 was re- cially worse off after moving onto house to go to an assessment centre. if they had any letters. Ward only learned that Zeichner fused and they had to take their case universal credit.