In his spring budget, the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, failed to provide support to millions of Disabled people, despite mountains of evidence on our economic and social hardship. The only meagre exception being a 6-month continuation of the Household Support Fund (a pot of money that allows local authorities to make discretionary payments to people in need), which is now set to close, when next winter starts.
The Disability Poverty Campaign Group (DPCG), of which Disability Rights UK is a leading member, had called on the Chancellor to take urgent action to help Disabled citizens struggling with household bills and inadequate social support.
DPCG asked that action was taken to increase social security to meet the essentials of life including food, energy and medication and the extra costs of disability; invest in public services to enable Disabled people to receive health services, educational support, and social care; and to ensure that housing and transport were accessible and affordable.
We were, alongside others representing the poorest and most excluded in society, deeply concerned by the Government’s failure to acknowledge or address growing levels of poverty and to invest in grossly underfunded public services such as social care and educational support to Disabled children and young people.
With the Government set to be questioned by the United Nations on 18 March on its record on achieving equality for Disabled people, this Budget is yet more evidence of its lack of commitment to improving our life chances.
We know what policies we as Disabled people need to improve the lives of all in society - that's why we wrote them, together as a movement. Help us keep pushing for our Disabled People's Manifesto to implement the transformation in society we all need to see.