Coalition government policies on setting up new academies and free schools will be “deeply socially divisive” and unfair to disabled children, according to the former children’s, schools and families secretary. Ed Balls told a fringe meeting at the Labour conference in […]
News Archive
Labour conference: Miliband’s tacit approval for welfare reforms
Labour’s new leader has resisted the opportunity to criticise the coalition government over its incapacity benefit (IB) reforms. In his set-piece speech to the conference in Manchester, Ed Miliband said that many people were in “genuine fear” about the “impact” of […]
Labour conference: Labour peer will fight for portability
A senior Labour peer has pledged to fight for the rights of disabled people to move to different parts of the country and take their packages of support with them. Baroness Thornton, Labour’s shadow health and social care minister in the […]
Labour conference: Transport industry ‘must do more on access’
Representatives of the transport industry have been criticised for failing to do more to improve the accessibility of public transport. John Dickinson-Lilley, RNIB’s parliamentary officer, told a fringe event at the Labour conference in Manchester that there was a need for […]
One in three anti-social behaviour victims are disabled, says report
Nearly a third of people who have contacted the police about anti-social behaviour are disabled people according to a major national report. The Stop the Rot report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) says anti-social behaviour (ASB) across England and […]
Police force blasted for ‘astonishing’ hate crime failings
A police force has been fiercely criticised for failing to treat the bullying and harassment of a disabled man as a potential disability hate crime. Kial Cottingham, 19, was this week sentenced by magistrates to 16 weeks in a young offenders […]
Police twice failed to investigate sex assault allegations
A police force twice failed to investigate claims that a woman had been sexually assaulted, because officers decided she was making the allegations up as a result of her mental health condition. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded this week […]
Liberal Democrat conference: Ministers defend spending cuts
Four Liberal Democrat ministers have defended the coalition government’s planned spending cuts, and have pledged to “protect” disabled people and other “vulnerable” groups. The ministers – pensions minister Steve Webb, care services minister Paul Burstow, children and families minister Sarah Teather […]
Liberal Democrat conference: Disabled members could quit party over DLA
Disabled Liberal Democrats are threatening to quit the party over the huge cuts to spending on disability living allowance (DLA) announced by the coalition government. The chancellor announced in his emergency budget in June that he would cut spending on DLA […]
Liberal Democrat conference: Concerns over SEN provision
A flagship government policy to expand the number of academies and set up new “free schools” will damage the education chances of disabled pupils, according to delegates at the Liberal Democrat conference. A succession of party members raised concerns that the […]