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Two leading disabled campaigners have delivered stark messages about the impact of a decade of austerity on disabled people, including the deaths of countless benefit claimants and the “unprecedented” loss of user-led organisations. Professor Peter Beresford, co-chair of Shaping Our Lives, […]
A new parliamentary report that calls on the government to introduce free personal care has been branded a “major breakthrough” for campaigns led by disabled people and their grassroots organisations for a national independent living service. The report, by the House […]
User-led groups met this week to discuss how to turn back the tide of closures of organisations run and controlled by disabled people and service-users. Research shows the number of user-led groups continuing to fall, due to austerity cuts and other […]
The chancellor has ignored repeated calls for the government to take urgent steps to ease the social care funding crisis and other impacts of austerity on disabled people, as he delivered his spring statement. Hammond’s statement yesterday (Wednesday) was overshadowed by […]
User-led organisations across the country are continuing to close, with the sector even facing a “real threat of extinction”, leading networks have warned this week. Those user-led organisations that have found a way to survive are increasingly being side-lined from government […]
The disability charity Leonard Cheshire has been accused of making “a complete mockery” of its supposed commitment to service-user involvement after it suddenly told residents of 17 of its care homes that it plans to sell them to other care providers. […]
The government’s Office for Disability Issues is apparently failing to take any action to address “worrying” concerns about disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) that are being forced to close because of funding problems. Earlier this month, two prominent user-led organisations spoke out […]
Government plans for a huge expansion of personal health budgets could help to deliver independent living for disabled people, according to a leading disabled peer. Baroness [Jane] Campbell (pictured), who has been receiving a personal health budget herself for more than […]
The government’s decision to rebrand the Department of Health as the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has raised concerns about its plans for addressing the social care funding crisis. This week’s ministerial reshuffle saw the number of ministers in […]
Disabled activists have reacted with a mixture of anger, resignation and optimism to a general election that saw the Conservatives lose their parliamentary majority. Some believe that a resurgent Labour party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, which defied mainstream media […]