Disabled people will be better supported to compete on a level
playing field in gaining access to elected office through a new
steering group and fund to support with the disability-related
expenses that they might face.
The fund will help break down barriers for disabled candidates
and be developed with support from a new government steering
group who will advise the government on how to boost opportunity
for disabled people in seeking to enter elected office.
Drawing on their lived experience of disability, accessing
funding or standing for elected office, members will work with
the Minister for Social Security and Disability to ensure the
fund is effective in increasing disability representation in
future elections.
Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir MP, said:
We want to ensure that disabled people have the right support to
pursue a rewarding career in elected office.
I look forward to working with the new steering group to develop
a fund which makes sure that having a disability is not a barrier
to success in political life, and that disabled people's views
and voices are at the heart of our efforts to achieve this.
The minister will also engage with MPs with a specialist interest
in supporting disabled candidates, gathering insights which will
further inform the fund and efforts to maximise its uptake.
The steering group will take learnings from the government's
previous Access to Elected Office Fund and Enable Fund, which
similarly helped cover the costs of disability-related expenses –
including transport support for mobility impaired candidates and
the provision of accessible formats and British Sign Language
interpretation.
It follows wider efforts to support disabled people to thrive in
work – such as our consultation on mandatory disability pay gap
reporting, which will inform how government tackles the gap and
puts more money in disabled people's pockets as part of the Plan
for Change.
Notes to editors
The members of the steering group are:
- Dr Sarabajaya Kumar, Centenary Action and Founder of the
Disabled Women in Politics Network
- Chloe Schendel-Wilson, Disability Policy Centre
- Dr Mark Carew, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
and Disability Policy Centre
- Fazilet Hadi MBE, Disability Rights UK
- Barry Ginley, Disability consultant and former Conservative
party local councillor
- Julie Adnams Hatch, Liberal Democrat Women's network
- Celia Chartres-Aris, Disability campaigner
- David Buxton OBE, Action on Disability
- Kathryn Bole FRSA, Disability Politics Centre and Disability
Labour
- Jane Bevan, Greater Manchester Disabled People's Panel
- Nuala Toman, Disability Action
- Helen Rowlands, Disability Consultant and Researcher
- Dr Mustafa Mohammed, Ability2Win
