• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About DNS
  • Subscribe to DNS
  • Advertise with DNS
  • Support DNS
  • Contact DNS

Disability News Service

the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues

  • Home
  • Independent Living
    • Arts, Culture and Sport
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Housing
    • Transport
  • Activism & Campaigning
  • Benefits & Poverty
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
You are here: Home / Politics / Harper accused of hypocrisy after handing out access awards
The shopfront of Mark Harper's office, including a doorstep

Harper accused of hypocrisy after handing out access awards

By John Pring on 13th March 2015 Category: Politics

Listen

The minister for disabled people has been accused of hypocrisy, after announcing the winners of his Accessible Britain awards, despite his own access failings.

A leading disabled people’s organisation, Equal Lives, said that Mark Harper should “put his own house in order before preaching to others”.

The awards were launched last September, three months after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) promised to close St Mary’s House, an inaccessible disability assessment centre in Norwich.

Nine months after the pledge to move assessments to a more accessible location, disabled people are still being forced to make long journeys to alternative centres, three years after the problems were first drawn to the government’s attention.

But Equal Lives also pointed to the revelation by Disability News Service that Harper’s own constituency office in Cinderford, in Gloucestershire, was not accessible to many disabled people.

Harper is one of four coalition ministers – including the prime minister, David Cameron – who have been exposed for running inaccessible constituency offices.

One of the aims of the Accessible Britain Challenge is to “motivate local communities to do more to be inclusive and accessible for disabled people”, but Harper has refused to answer questions about the access in his own constituency office (pictured).

Mark Harrison, chief executive of Equal Lives, said the continuing use of St Mary’s House and Harper’s own inaccessible office showed that the Accessible Britain Challenge was “just a publicity stunt”. 

Equal Lives has been campaigning for three years outside St Mary’s House, and says that Harper has ignored its concerns and refused to answer its letters.

Harrison said: “They are even presenting awards in conjunction with the British Institute of Facilities Management and one of the categories is ‘innovative use of buildings, spaces and places’. 

“I am sure the irony of this is not lost on the thousands of disabled people who have been forced to travel hundreds of miles for their assessments because the DWP won’t lease a suitable premises.” 

He added: “It also demonstrates the contempt this government has for disabled people. 

“There is one rule for disabled people and another for the private sector, bankers and ministers who see themselves as being unaccountable and above the law.”

The awards ceremony at the House of Commons today (12 March) saw the YMCA Community Gym in Peterborough, the live music accessibility charity Attitude is Everything, the Safe Place project in Poole and Bournemouth, and the Corporate Disability Access Forum in west Cheshire, all recognised for their “life-changing” work on improving access.

A DWP spokesman said the suggestion that Harper was a hypocrite was not “fair”.

He said: “As the minister has made clear previously, his constituency office does have disabled access and complies with all equality legislation.

“We are working to secure a new location for the assessment centre in Norwich and hope to be able to make an announcement soon.

“In the meantime, people who are unable to access the second floor will continue to be offered an assessment elsewhere or, if necessary, a home visit.”

He added: “The minister believes it is right to recognise the work of organisations which have helped transform the lives of disabled people and which share the government’s commitment to making Britain more accessible.”

Picture by Tim Oakes

Share this post:

Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on RedditShare on LinkedIn

Tags: Accessible Britain Challenge Department for Work and Pensions Mark Harper

A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Secure your ticket today and be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities.

Related

Ministers and train firms refuse to rule out future ticket office closures, despite climbdown
2nd November 2023
Harper dismisses disabled people’s concerns over rail ticket office closures
5th October 2023
Activists launch legal action over ‘woefully inadequate’ ticket office consultations
20th July 2023

Primary Sidebar

On the left of the image are multiple heads of different colours - white, aqua, red, light brown, and dark green - all grouped together, then the words ‘Campaign for Disability Justice. Sign up to support. #OpportunitySecurityRespect’
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Secure your ticket today and be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities.

Access

Latest Stories

Ministers are secretly considering means-testing PIP, DWP admits, despite pledge in green paper

‘We will not give a single inch,’ disabled activists vow, as Kendall publishes disability cuts bill

New figures show legalising assisted suicide is not safe, with government preparing to cut billions from benefits

Tribunal allows DWP to continue to hide information from secret reviews into universal credit deaths

Two members quit government’s ‘tokenistic’ network because Disability Unit is ignoring disabled people

Government’s ‘weak’ response to damning transport access report puts right to travel in ‘grave danger’

Rebel Labour MPs send final warning to ministers before disability cuts bill is published

Government offers three clues that it is set to plough ahead with cuts to disability benefits

‘Real danger’ that disabled people will not benefit from £39 billion for social and affordable homes

Self-driving taxis that are not accessible will be allowed pilot scheme licenses, government suggests

Advice and Information

Readspeaker
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Secure your ticket today and be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities.

Footer

The International Standard Serial Number for Disability News Service is: ISSN 2398-8924

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site map
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web