A peaceful demonstration by disabled people is planned for Lydney on January 24 outside the Co-Op.

Diana Harrison says: "This is a National protest and is in support of others taking part on that day around the country to try and challenge the unfair cuts to our disabled benefits.

"The government plans to cut £2.5 billion from our Employment Support Allowance (old name Incapacity Benefit). Meanwhile the budget for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is to be cut by 20 per cent.  

"This benefit helps pay for us to live independently paying for such things as transport, care, medical equipment and extra living costs.   The government also plans to withdraw the mobility component of DLA to disabled people living in care homes.

"Many agencies supporting disabled people have written of the misery this will cause to those who are too disabled to get out without transport, for example those with learning difficulties, autism and the severely disabled. This will leave many as prisoners in their homes.

"To those who say we can't afford not to make cuts; there were billions of pounds left over from the last few years from unclaimed benefits.  The HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) announced that the amount of unpaid tax last year rose from £38 billion to £42 billion, amounting to over 9 per cent of the total tax that should have been collected.  Of this, £6.9 billion was unpaid corporation tax – the tax paid by businesses.

"This means that while fraud by disability and incapacity benefit claimants is running at less than 1 per cent, businesses are robbing the taxpayer of  a staggering 14 per cent of the money they should be contributing.

"We are not scroungers – we are people with the same needs as everyone else."

The demonstration is due to start at 1.30pm.