Now that the hype of the General Election is over and the Conservatives have been returned with a working majority, we outline what we want to see from the new Government.
Making good on manifesto commitments
- The promised review of the Mental Health Act should be co-produced with disabled people and people with long-term health conditions
- Concrete plans for realising the commitment to get an additional 1 million disabled people into employment in the next 10 years
- Amend access regulations to include access to licensed premises, parking and housing
Not in the manifesto but 10 priorities for action
- Ending social care charging for disabled people of working age
- The replacement of WCA for ESA and Universal Credit with a new system that reflects the true barriers disabled people face in obtaining work; and is capable of identifying the support needed to overcome these barriers
- The removal of the benefits sanctions system and the introduction of better employment support, including peer support
- The abolition of the bedroom tax
- The addition of the severe disability premium within Universal Credit and a new disabled child addition
- Allow those disabled people who submit fit notes to again be treated as having a limited capacity for work until they have had a work capability assessment
- Give Universal Credit entitlement to disabled students on the same basis as ESA
- The house building strategy to require building to lifetime homes accessible standards
- Ensure that disabled people are included in apprenticeship schemes
- Government to use its powers of procurement to ensure those it contracts with set a baseline for the employment of disabled people and set targets for increasing the recruitment/retention of disabled employees
Sue Bott, Deputy CEO DR UK said:
‘We look forward to meeting the new ministers with portfolios relevant to disabled people once appointed. We want to work constructively with the new Government to improve the lives of disabled people in the UK. We hope there will be opportunities to contribute our own ideas and that in turn Ministers will listen, and act on, the very real difficulties many disabled people currently face.’