Closed petition Make fairer benefits available for cancer patients having treatment

Closed on 30 March 2015

Fighting cancer is tough enough without having to fight for financial support when you are unable to work due to surgery and chemotherapy.

No matter what tax and NI contributions you have made, the only support available is sick pay of £87.55 a week. I live in London so this is nothing towards rent, council tax and bills. All of my partner's wages are needed to cover this now, and we are watching as our savings for a mortgage deposit which took years to build up just disappear.

Housing benefits and DLA are routinely given to patients with personality disorder who are otherwise in good physical health, but not to chemotherapy patients who have made their tax and NI contributions but are being made ill and bedridden by treatment every other week as outpatients.

The minimum I would ask for is council tax exemption and for the DLA eligibility criteria to be reworded to include cancer patients who are unable to work, providing they have a fit note from their GP.