A MAN with learning disabilities and failing eyesight fears he will be evicted from his York home after losing crucial benefits.

Martin Taylor, 50, from the Bishopthorpe Road area, said the Department for Work and Pensions was stopping his benefits because he had failed to attend work capability assessments last year.

Mr Taylor said he found such assessments complex and distressing, and could only cope with them if he was accompanied by a social worker or advocate.

He claimed neither his social worker nor his advocate had been able to accompany him to assessment hearings on the dates suggested last year.

He said: “I am in a serious mess simply because I do not have any support. The DWP have stopped my income support because I could not get to any assessment, as I needed support to go.

“I have an eye condition which is getting worse, and doing simple tasks such shopping and reading my mail and bills is proving difficult.”

He claimed the DWP had given very little notice of the assessments, and said that lacking support was insufficient reason for failing to attend.

York Press:

A letter from the DWP to Mr Taylor said he had ‘not shown good cause’ for failing to attend and as a consequence, his award of Severe Disablement Allowance and Income Support did not qualify for conversion to Employment and Support Allowance.

It said evidence he had supplied was ‘inherently improbable,’ because he had previously informed the department he would not be attending any appointments.

A DWP spokeswoman said the law required people to attend assessments before receiving such benefits. Michael Melvin, assistant director of adult social care at City of York Council, said it continued to offer Mr Taylor support.