Almost 5,000 people with cancer in Northamptonshire stand to lose £30 per week, says Macmillan charity

Macmillan Cancer Support is urging all MPs in Northamptonshire to uphold the Lord’s amendments to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, as this will ensure that people with cancer and other long-term illnesses, who are too ill to work but capable of work in the future, do not see their benefits reduced by £30 a week.

If the bill remains unchanged, at least 4,900 people in Northamptonshire alone could be left without vital financial support.

Jane Rudge, at Macmillan, said: “As the bill moves to its final stages, we hope MPs in Northamptonshire recognise the impact that any cuts to benefits will have on the physical and mental wellbeing of people in their constituencies with long-term illnesses and uphold the Lord’s amendments.”

Macmillan is also worried that some MPs might reject the Lord’s amendments without realising that doing so will push some people with cancer over the edge financially.

Its survey shows that over half of Conservative MPs (54%) do not know that the Government’s proposed changes will affect people who have had cancer. Just over a third of all MPs (38%) are unaware of this impact.

Macmillan knows the financial burden that many people with cancer face. The charity found that four in five (83%) people with cancer are on average £570 a month worse off as a result of their diagnosis.

This is because of loss of income and extra medical costs, such as transport to hospital appointments, as well as spiralling household bills as cancer treatment causes people to feel the cold more when they’re likely to be spending more time at home.

People can get involved in the campaign by emailing their MP on: http://bit.ly/1SlmRS0