Dear John

We'd like to share with you some good news from before Christmas!

Four community campaigners supported by Church Action on Poverty have met with a Government minister in London, to call for a new approach to working with people in hardship.

Mary Passeri, Stef Benstead, Sydnie Corley and Wayne Green met Stephen Timms MP, minister for social security and disability.

We had requested the meeting so the group could talk about how the Government will meaningfully engage people with direct experience of poverty, when it reviews systems such as the Work Capability Assessment, and the way the Government views and talks about people whose illness or disability means they are unable to work.

The group had a productive and fruitful 30-minute meeting and secured a commitment to a follow-up meeting.

During 2025, together we can create many more opportunities like this for people in poverty to speak truth to power. Thanks for being part of this with us.