Disability Equality Network conference

The South Gloucestershire Disability Equality Network (DEN) and Action Group Conference will take place from 10-3pm on Friday 12th April at Turnberries in Thornbury.

It will cover upcoming changes to the state pension, the transition from DLA to PIP and changes to housing benefit. The keynote speaker is local MP Steve Webb, Minister of State at the Department of Work and Pensions, and benefit advisers will be there to answer questions. For information or for a booking form email or call 01454 865205 before 3rd April.

MP forces Government to u-turn on MP's pensions

Local MP Steve Webb has succeeded in forcing the Government to re-think its plans to increase the amount of money taxpayers put into the MPs' pension scheme. You can read more on Steve's blog.

Women's pensions - Steve Webb's campaign gets pension justice

Steve Webb MP has been campaigning to get proper state pension payments for women whose computer records had been lost, so that they weren't receiving credit for periods when they were at home raising children.

Steve was contacted by more than a thousand women who have been affected. Steve and his team identified a dozen key cases and took them to the Department of Work and Pensions, who agreed that they had lost out. One woman has received more than £10,000 in back pension and interest.

The Government has now agreed to trawl through millions of National Insurance Contribution records to identify the people affected - the back payments may add up to tens of millions of pounds.

For the full details, see Steve Webb's blog.