Lib Dem manifesto targets care charges, and promises to implement UN disability convention

The Liberal Democrats have devoted a significant part of their manifesto to reforming adult social care and supporting independent living, but they have also pledged to implement the UN disability convention into law if they win power at the election.  

The pledge to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) into UK law could potentially see them challenging Labour for the votes of some disabled activists, after Labour admitted last year it had dropped its own promise to implement the treaty.

The Liberal Democrats have also promised to scrap the bedroom tax, replace benefit sanctions with an “incentive-based scheme” to help people into work, and end the outsourcing of work capability assessments, as well as give disabled people “a stronger voice in the design of benefits policies and processes”.

But there are gaps in the manifesto, with no measures on disability hate crime, nothing to tackle the accessible housing crisis, and nothing on accessible public transport other than continuing to fund the Access for All station improvement programme.

There is also no mention of the continuing safeguarding concerns about the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), particularly relating to universal credit, and no mention of calls from disabled people and bereaved relatives for an independent inquiry into the years of deaths linked to DWP’s actions.

A day after its publication, the Public and Commercial Services Union warned in its own general election charter that universal credit was “a dangerously flawed system, the most vulnerable continue to slip through its cracks and our members are the scapegoats for over a decade of social security failures”.

Another policy likely to concern many disabled activists sees the party signalling its continuing support for legalising assisted suicide – party policy since 2004 – by giving parliament time to debate and vote on legislation, with a free vote for its MPs.

On social care, the Liberal Democrats say they would “forge a new consensus” on funding by setting up a “cross-party commission” to develop “a long-term agreement on sustainable funding for social care”.

As announced last week, the party would offer free personal care to all adults whose needs are seen as eligible for council-funded support.

It also plans to trial “personal health and social care budgets so that individuals are in control of what care they receive”, although it had not clarified by 11am today (Thursday) what this would mean.

It promises to set up an Independent Living Taskforce that would “help people live independently in their own homes”, although again it has provided no further details.

And it says it would enable disabled people to transfer their care package to another local authority “so they don’t feel stuck in their current locality due to their care needs”.

Among its measures on social security, the party would “repair the broken benefits safety net” by scrapping sanctions and the bedroom tax and reducing the wait for the first payment of universal credit from five weeks to five days.

It plans to replace benefit sanctions with a new “incentive-based” scheme, although it has yet to provide any further information on how this might work.

It also promises to reform the personal independence payment (PIP) system, making assessments “more transparent” and stopping “unnecessary reassessments”, but it stopped short of calling for an end to the outsourcing of PIP assessments to companies like Maximus, Serco and Capita.

The manifesto includes a series of policies aimed at making it easier for disabled people to access public life.

As well as implementing UNCRPD, a Liberal Democrat government would bring in new accessibility standards for public spaces, although it has yet to explain how this would work.

It would also introduce “a targeted strategy to support disabled people into work”; raise awareness of, and improve, the Access to Work scheme; and increase the use of British Sign Language in government communications.

And there would be a new right to flexible working, with every disabled person having the right to work from home “unless there are significant business reasons why it is not possible”.

There are a series of policies aimed at improving the rights around mental health, autism and people with learning difficulties.

A Liberal Democrat government would end “inappropriate and costly inpatient placements” for people with learning difficulties and autistic people.

It would also modernise the Mental Health Act – to “strengthen people’s rights, give them more choice and control over their treatment and prevent inappropriate detentions” – which suggests it would take on much of the present government’s discarded draft mental health bill.

It also promises to widen the current safety investigation into mental health hospitals to examine “the whole patient experience, including ward design and treatment options”.

The manifesto says: “In decades past, the UK has led the world in advancing human rights, civil liberties and equality for women, LGBT+ people and disabled people.

“But under the Conservatives, progress has stalled. They are failing to stand up to hatred and prejudice, or tackle entrenched inequalities.”

Picture: Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey

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