The Invitation-only event will now take place on 23 June at the Welsh Government’s Ty William Morgan office building in Cardiff.
This will be the only face-to-face consultation in Wales on the proposed benefit changes for disabled people.
In a letter to attendees, the DWP said that the previous meeting arranged for 3 June was cancelled “following an unexpected last minute cancellation by the venue.”
A spokesperson for campaign group, Swansea Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) said: “We are glad that the disability cuts consultation event for Wales has now been rearranged in a central location with sufficient notice. But let there be no doubt: like everywhere else, disabled people in Wales would have had to settle for a blatantly discriminatory and inaccessible consultation if we had not, through campaigning, forced the DWP to do better. It should not have taken protests, media scrutiny, and a member of the Senedd (literally) raising our letter in the Welsh Parliament for the DWP to properly arrange a simple meeting.
“But we are alarmed at reports that the welfare cuts bill will be presented to parliament as early as Wednesday 18 June, before the Wales consultation even takes place, and that a vote in the house of commons may be held as early as the 3rd of July, before anyone has had time to consider the consultation responses.
“Disabled people have continuously been told not to worry, and to have our say by taking part in the consultation. The government is not even pretending to listen. It never intended to.
“Disabled People Against Cuts have consistently warned that a consultation that doesn’t consult on half the issues – the most important issues – is not a genuine consultation. Liz Kendall, in a letter released yesterday, admitted as much herself. The one thing we would agree with her on, is that she has “consistently been clear” about this.
“This is an unaccountable government running riot. We urge everyone to support the disabled people and carers fighting to be heard, and join DPAC protests across the country on the 30 June, when the consultation officially ends, and the 3 July.”
