Disabled peers have called on the government not to push ahead with new regulations that will make it even harder for people to claim out-of-work disability benefits. Lord [Colin] Low Baroness [Rosalie] Wilkins, the Countess of Mar and Baroness [Celia] Thomas […]
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Review raises fears over government’s plans for care duties
Disabled people have “reasons to be very nervous” about a government review which questions whether local authorities should still have a legal duty to assess disabled people’s care needs, say campaigners. A wide-ranging review led by the Communities and Local Government […]
TalkTalk directed disability complaints to non-existent helpline
The phone company TalkTalk has apologised after telling disabled customers who wanted to lodge complaints to call a helpline that has been disconnected for the last 12 months. Some customer services staff have been directing disabled customers who want to complain […]
Questions raised over council’s equality impact refusal
A local authority has refused to explain why it will not release an assessment of how its savage spending cuts will affect disabled people and other minority groups. Members of Lambeth council pushed through a package of spending cuts last month, […]
Funding cuts put future of self-advocacy movement in doubt
Serious concerns have been raised about the future of the UK’s self-advocacy movement, with four-fifths of organisations under threat of closure, according to a leading disabled activist. Andrew Lee, director of People First (Self Advocacy), said that 80 per cent of […]
Thousands of disabled people to be forced into unpaid work
Thousands of disabled people are set to be forced to do unpaid work in order to continue receiving their out-of-work benefits, despite the government’s own benefits advice body saying the scheme should not go ahead. The government introduced new rules this […]
Seeking parliamentary selection was ‘absolute nightmare’, says disabled politician
A disabled councillor has described to MPs and peers the “absolute nightmare” she experienced when trying to win selection as a parliamentary candidate. Marie Pye, a Labour councillor in Waltham Forest, said she had had an “incredibly positive” experience as both […]
Remploy redundancies ‘could lead to factory closures’
A union has raised major concerns that a voluntary redundancy programme could lead to the closure of some of Remploy’s 54 remaining sheltered factories. The government-funded company has announced that 773 people – including 544 of its 2 800 disabled factory […]
SEN green paper: Government’s plans ‘will set inclusion back 20 years’
Campaigners say the government’s plans for reforming the special educational needs (SEN) system will set the fight for inclusive education back 20 years. The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) said the green paper proposals would “dismantle” the framework of support for […]
SEN green paper: Government set to remove rights to inclusion
Parents will have fewer rights to have their disabled children educated in mainstream schools, according to government plans for reforming the special educational needs (SEN) system. The green paper, Support and Aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability, […]