Almost five million people remain on the three main ‘out of work’ benefits, according to the Office of National Statistics.

The unemployment rate for the three months to June 2010 was 7.8%, down 0.2% on the quarter, although the number of people unemployed for more than 12 months increased by 33,000 to reach 796,000, the highest figure since the three months to March 1997.

The chief executive of disability charity Scope, Richard Hawkes, said: “If the Government is serious about reducing the number of people claiming benefits they need to invest in developing a welfare system that provides the tailored support that disabled people need to find a job.

“In the current economic climate, with high unemployment and fierce competition for jobs, disabled people won’t find work by simply being forced off benefits or shunted from one type of benefit to another via arduous assessment regimes.

“We also need to ensure that any plans for welfare reform allow legitimate claims to continue to be made, ensuring those who do need additional support continue to receive the right support at the right time.”

People are being warned about a telephone scam.

Leicestershire Trading Standards Service issued an alert after a caller tried to trick an elderly woman into supplying her bank details.

She was told she owed money and her benefits would be stopped unless she made a payment over the phone.

The call is thought to have been made from Nigeria

Keith Regan, of trading standards, said: "Don't fall for these scams – never give out bank details, passwords, pin numbers or other personal information, as no reputable organisation would ask for them in this way.

"If someone asks you for these details, it is a scam."

If you’re elderly or receive a range of benefits including Disability Living Allowance, you could be eligible to receive a free visit from a trained Energy Expert (itself worth £40) that could cut around £254 from your fuel bills.

You are eligible for a free British Gas MyHome Energy Assessment if you are:

- 70 years or older;

- Live in a house with no more than four bedrooms;

- Receive any of the following benefits: Disability Living Allowance, Disablement Pension, Attendance Allowance, Council Tax benefits, Child or Working Tax Credit (income less than £16,040), Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, State Pension Credit, War Disablement Allowance (including Mobility Supplement or Constant Attendance Allowance).

A British Gas MyHome Energy Assessment should take less than one hour to complete, and is available to both British Gas and non-British Gas customers.

More: To book an appointment please call 0800 072 8217, select option 1 and quote the following code: VHEACP.

When the Spending Challenge website was established by the Chancellor and the Treasury, the idea was that the Government could learn ways to save money and increase efficiency from the public.

One thing anyone who visits the site most certainly learns is the prejudices held by certain sections of the British public.

These prejudices are no secret; the Comments sections of various online newspaper articles demonstrate them on a regular basis. Immigrants, asylum seekers and disabled benefit recipients are frequent targets for the earnest yet ill-informed venom of some comment posters.

To find this sort of material on a Government website, however, and moreover a website which is supposed to be involving the public in the future of Britain, is quite simply beyond the pale. Pathetic yet vile suggestions such as “Let The Disabled Community Forge A New Industry” which suggests that disabled claimants should grow and sell cannabis for a living, ill-informed and prejudiced postings about people living with injury, ill-health or disability being scroungers, and suggestions that anyone unable to work be sterilised have no place on a Government website designed to inform future policy. One particularly abhorrent suggestion involved disabled people breaking rocks for their benefits.

Liz Sayce, Chief Executive of RADAR, said:

"The website administrators must actively moderate this site to remove offensive and prejudiced suggestions and comments. We hear from our members that these prejudices are turning to bullying and hate crime against disabled people who are being viewed unfairly as a burden. "

"People living with injury, ill health or disability have made an extremely positive contribution to this website and the debate around austerity measures in general. Disabled people have plenty of ideas for efficiencies – for instance, reducing the unnecessary multiple assessments we face to one single assessment, saving the Government billions of pounds in the process. Neither they, nor any other minority group, should be confronted by ill-informed, offensive and dangerous nonsense from prejudiced people."

"Everyone agrees that benefits should be restricted to those who need them. Rather than labeling claimants as scroungers, these posters should focus their energy on solving the problem of too few suitable and flexible jobs. We need investment in people’s contributions – for instance, flexible support to work, with support to get skills and qualifications – not just investment in people’s dependency. Currently job-seeking and training schemes are often unsuitable for disabled people, and the education system still leaves too many disabled people with fewer qualifications than their non-disabled peers."

At the time of writing the section of the website containing the offensive material has been suspended whilst the Treasury considers its options for moderation/: we await the outcome with interest.

Channel 4 is aiming to make household names out of disabled sports stars, such as nine-times gold-medal-winning equestrian Lee Pearson, in the run-up to the the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

And the channel is launching a £500,000 search for British disabled talent to act as commentators, experts and presenters during the Paralympics.

Channel 4′s acting chief creative officer, Julian Bellamy, confirmed that, apart from programming such as the news, the broadcaster’s schedules will be cleared for 150 hours of live coverage of the Paralympics, which run from  29 August to 9 September

Channel 4 is apparently intending to recruit disabled employees to become part of its on-screen team for the 2012 Paralympics in London.

Over the next two years, it is expected that £500,000 will be spent finding TV presenters with disabilities, with bosses already signing up Ade Adepitan - a broadcaster and wheelchair basketball athlete - to host That Paralympic Show.

Julian Bellamy, head of programmes, remarked: "The Paralympics has been made to feel like an afterthought and we are determined to change this."

That Paralympic Show will also feature T4's Rick Edwards, with a slot called Pimp My Chair and guests such as Celebrity Big Brother success story Alex Reid trying out Paralympic sports.

Similarly, the BBC is rolling out a scheme to increase the number of disabled employees working in management positions at the organisation, with eight jobs available from November in journalism and technology, among other disciplines, in London, Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff.

ProductionBase, the industry’s online network for freelancers working in TV, film and commercial production announced has launched a new search tool making it easier for broadcasters and production companies to find disabled freelancers while keeping the information discreet to make sure there is no discrimination.

The initiative has been endorsed by the BBC, Channel 4, PACT, ITV and disability campaigners within the industry.

The Network Manager for the Broadcasting and Creative Industries Disability Network (BDIDN), Clare Morrow, said: “We know that disabled people are significantly under-represented in the television industry, both on and off screen, but we also know that broadcasters and independent production companies are keen to change that.
“This new tool from Production Base will ensure that companies looking for production talent can target opportunities towards known disabled talent to ensure that they get an equal chance to apply for the work on offer, and that is a great step forward,” she added.

Nikki Fox started her TV career as trainee researcher on Channel 4’s Production Training Scheme and has worked on programmes including How to Look Good Naked, she also presented How to Look Good Naked…with a Difference.

“I think it’s an absolutely fabulous idea and a bit of a bonus for someone disabled like myself as it might help me get more work if an employer is specifically looking for a disabled freelancer,” she said.

More: http://www.productionbase.co.uk/

To enable less able Jewish individuals to continue being mobile during Shabbat and Jewish holidays, UK based TGA Electric Leisure and its Israel supplier have recently introduced the Shabbat controller to several models.

The TGA Breeze 3 and 4, and their new Midi counterparts, are now compliant with Halacha which enables the owner to operate the scooter during Shabbat and Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Passover. The Shabbat controller has been authorised and certified by Zomet, the Israeli hi-tech, non-profit organization specializing in IT equipment and electronic appliances designed to meet Halacha.

The Shabbat mode utilises a separate circuit board which results in steady acceleration with no throttle lever activation required by the user. This initial process is considered an ‘indirect action’ and, because the motor relay circuit was changed whilst in Shabbat mode, varying the voltage to the motor by the throttle lever and hence altering speed during motion, is not considered a violation of the Shabbat principle. The Shabbat controller is also used for turning the scooter on or off and for changing direction.

TGA Managing Director David Stone said: “TGA and our Israeli partners Afikim have invested extensive R&D in the Shabbat controller to ensure it complies with Orthodox Jewish Law. We felt the time was right to provide custom fitting of this system to a wide range of our scooters here in the UK with the aim of satisfying both Halacha and the growing need for independence. People of Jewish faith who unfortunately live with restricted mobility now have the ability to visit the Synagogue on the Shabbat.

More: http://www.tga-electric.com/, www.twitter.com/tgaelectric

Dee Doocey reveals shocking problems facing disabled people travelling to the "most accessible Games ever" and calls for Olympic road lanes to be open to disabled people

Promises made to the world that the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the most accessible ever for disabled people will be broken predicts Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Olympics spokesperson, unless disabled people are at least given access to a network of Olympic road lanes during the 2012 Games.

Detailed research carried out by the London Assembly Member has revealed that many disabled people will face public transport journeys twice as long as those faced by non disabled people. Straight forward journeys on the London Underground will be complex and lengthy for disabled Londoners and visitors - often involving four or even five changes on the tube due to the limited number of accessible tube stations.

A further discovery from Dee Doocey's research is that Transport for London's journey planner actually claim that no public transport journey to the Olympic Park is even possible for disabled people starting their journey from Stansted or Gatwick airports. Such inaccurate information is routinely provided to disabled people because TfL fail to provide information about accessible network rail overground stations for disabled travellers. In complete contrast Transport for London do provide information about network rail journeys for non disabled people, so assisting them in making the easiest journey across London.

Commenting on the findings of the research Dee Doocey AM said:

"In 2005 London promised the world the most accessible Games ever, yet since then the Mayor has cancelled step free access at six London Underground stations and on a daily basis inaccurate advice is provided to disabled travellers.

"A chasm now exists between the promises made in Singapore about the accessibility of the 2012 Games and the reality set to face disabled people travelling to Stratford. Yet with only two years to go to the start of the Games some vital changes can still be made. Far more disabled parking must be provided at the Olympic Park. Most importantly we must ensure that the dedicated road lanes for the Games are open to disabled spectators and not just Olympic VIPs."

An exciting job opportunity has opened up at Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living for the role of a Disability Equality Officer.

Working to support the development of the personalisation agenda in Leicester, advising on policy development, providing leadership and training on Disability equality issues, promoting the Social Model of Disability. Representing disabled people and disability equality principles in key meetings with the public sector, challenging discrimination and empowering disabled people.

Hours of Work: Minimum 30hrs per week with option to work full time at 37hrs.

Salary: £18,450 - £19,427 (pro-rata) Pay review pending.

For Application Pack please contact

Michelle Headley at

Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living

5-9 Upper Brown Street, Leicester LE1 5TE

Tel:0116 2225005

e-mail: admin@lcil.org.uk

or Fax 0116 2225008