Yesterday's Court of Appeal verdict has dealt a massive blow to Workfare, one of the Government's flagship welfare reform policies.
The judgement on cases brought by Cait Reilly and Jamie Wilson mean that all but one of the Government's workfare schemes (Mandatory Work Activity) that force unemployed people to work unpaid or lose benefits have been deemed unlawful.
It also means that tens of thousands of unemployed people that had their benefits stripped whilst on the schemes should be due a refund. But the message from the Government was that they would be pressing ahead regardless of today's judgement.
Employment minister Mark Hoban said:
Such a blow to the Government can boost the fight against other attacks on welfare, such as cuts to council tax benefits, the Bedroom Tax and the end of disability living allowance amongst others.
Protests and occupations organised by Right To Work and Boycott Workfare have meant that Work and Pensions minister Iain Duncan Smith's workfare schemes have been under pressure since the introduction of workfare. Holland and Barrett cited anti-workfare protests as the reason they withdrew from workfare last summer.
Defend Council Housing, with Disabled People Against Cuts, Right to Work, tenants groups and campaigns, Unite and PCS trade unions, and growing numbers of MPs, are supporting a united Benefit Justice campaign - see Joint Letter
The Campaign for Benefit Justice has called a summit event on 9 March in central London, bringing together tenants, disabled people, trade unions, the unpaid and the low paid as one national voice to end the war on the poor. Contact Benefit Justice via info@defendouncilhousing.org.uk or mail@dpac.uk.net.
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Further information from www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk
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