National consultation on the rights of disabled people – the Labour party’s disability equality roadshow

Written by Kitty S Jones

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Jeremy Corbyn, Paul Rutherford and Debbie Abrahams at the Roadshow in Manchester

The Labour party would like to invite you to attend the Disability Equality Roadshow, an event asking disabled people, their carers and service providers, which policies Labour should develop to best defend and extend their rights.

The events are free and the next one is to be held in the North East in Newcastle on 3 December. You can register to attend here.

Regardless of your personal party affiliations, I think as many of us as possible need to attend these events and have a positive input into policy because we need political parties to recognise disabled people’s needs, especially given the past six years of harrowing and disproportionately targeted austerity cuts and systematic violation of disabled people’s human rights.

I don’t support the Liberal Democrats, but nonetheless have permitted the party to use some of my work on disabled people’s rights and the impact of austerity on their site, because our needs and views ought to matter to every political party. Something as fundamental as the recognition and observation of human rights should be a collaborative and collective cross-party endeavour – a cooperative effort in a democratic, inclusive society.

Human rights should not be a party political issue, but it’s a fact that they are. The Conservatives want to repeal our Human Rights Act, and that must not happen. The government have already demonstrated clearly that they will not observe the rights of disabled people. Without a robust legal framework in place, we would have absolutely no access to justice and redress, and no protection from the brutality and disregard of an increasingly authoritarian government .

Debbie Abrahams has organised and launched the Roadshow, which is an important opportunity for us to have a democratic say in political decision-making and shape future policies. 

The Labour party are using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People as a framework to help develop policies not just on social security but on education, health and social care, justice and more. It was the last Labour government that signed the UK up to the Convention.

The Roadshow will be going across the country to every region and to every nation state. 

Debbie is the Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth and Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. She has represented the constituency since her by-election victory in January 2011.

Debbie was a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee from June 2011-March 2015, where she led the call for an independent inquiry into the Government’s punitive New Sanctions Regime. She was re-elected as a member of the Work and Pensions Committee in July 2015 until her appointment as Shadow Minister for Disabled People in September 2015.  In June 2016 she was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Debbie is passionate about tackling inequalities and has campaigned extensively for a fairer society, setting up the Oldham Fairness Commission to deliver this in her own constituency. 

The Labour party assure us that the next Labour government will ensure that the UK upholds its obligations under the UN convention on persons with disabilities. They say their “commitment to people-powered politics means that they believe that future social security policy should be co-produced with deaf and disabled people, carers and service providers”. That is our democratic right. The party want to transform our social security system, based on the principles of dignity, independence and support. 

 The Labour party say they will listen to our views on improving social security, removing the punitive elements such as sanctions, the work capability assessment and the bedroom tax, to ensure it is fit for purpose; ensuring fair and equal access to employment for people who can and want to work; suitable housing and education; improving the provision of care and best supporting carers. 

If you have any additional access needs please email Huma on huma_haq@labour.org.uk by Thursday 1st December. 

Hope to see you there.

 

DATE AND TIME: Sat 3 December 2016, 10:45 – 13:45 GMT

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LOCATION: Unite the union

John Dobson Street

Newcastle upon Tyne

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15 thoughts on “National consultation on the rights of disabled people – the Labour party’s disability equality roadshow”

  2. Very proud Labour under Jeremy Corbyn are now addressing these issues, as New Labour were part of the problemand failed to oppose these abuses if human rights, as your many excellent blogs and articles have documented. Also very proud that Paul Rutherford had the ultimate strength of character and determination to fight the DWP and the govt despite his and his wife’s disabling illnesses, as a fellow member of the party.

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  4. Pingback: National consultation on the rights of disabled people – the Labour party’s disability equality roadshow | paulh121

      1. This was my comment if I remember well:

        This is all well and good, but why? This government will not listen, certainly to any breathing person who are not of their ilk!!!
        As an example, instead of rotting in a prison cell, Tony B.LIAR is allowed to slither back into politics, I hope Jeremy Corbyn says Absolutely No!!!!

        The same is happening on Vox Political, Mike thinks Trolls are responsible.

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      2. My site is being monitored by a PR company that is suspect, who have an Intelligence branch that “monitors” social media. I know this because WordPress provide data on where people who visit my site come from. Facebook, Twitter, search engines and other blogs are the usual sources. But the link called Ederman Intelligence took me to a log it page on their social media monitoring site.

        The consultation won’t change Conservative policies. But it will shape Labour ones. It’s down to all of us to ensure the Tories don’t get back into office in 2020. Blair is the very least of our worries, Joanna. We have a government of despots and we need to focus on dealing with that.

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  6. Pingback: National consultation on the rights of disabled people the Labour partys disability equality roadshow - Real Media - The News You Don't See

  7. i wont be able to attend but one thing i wish could be addressed is the needs of disabled people to have affordable access to cleaners or people to help keep their homes clean. for instance someone with a lung disease. asthma, COPD, one of the miners lung conditions. etc, all need to live in as dustfree and clean home as possible for their meds to have maximum effect. i can do certain things. minor. things that make the see-able part of each room clean. but cannot pull furniture out to vac under and behind them. cannot get down to clean skirting boards properly. and there is a list as long as my arm which i wont go into that we may or could do with help to do it or to do it for us but finding a cleaner that’s reliable, thorough and honest that also charges a reasonable price per hour.(not an agency one . their prices are colossal because those running the agency want a large cut of their employers earnings.that i do not agree with) is nigh on impossible to find cleaners now,and a lot of those on ESA simply cant afford to pay for someone out of their meagre benefits. so they live in squalor. i have seen this myself. in the past. and i know from my own experience how hard it is to find a cleaner of any kind. if people with chest conditions could live in a more dust free environment their condition could be delayed significantly from getting worse.

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      1. another thing is that anyone still on income support and similar benefits who are carers for a relative, have their carers allowance taken into consideration when income support is being worked out. they land up with their carers allowance being taken off their income support apart from the amount they are allowed to earn per week.this means that things like bus fares/petrol etc which isn’t allowed for(not even a reduced fair bus pass for those with no transport to get to the home of the person they care for,) is often not covered by that 20quid or whatever the amount now is that they are allowed to earn,,,so someone has to subsidise their carers transport costs.i have also just been told by someone who had to have a council(housing association) house built for them to accommodate the male partners amputation, size etc as their old house was not suitable for alteration to allow him to return home. for 2 years he was moved from hospital to respite care to a hotel room with no facilities to a flat.while his female partner lived in their old house surrounded by packing cases she had a stroke 4 yrs before and was classed as disabled yet expected to go visit him with no extra help.take food in for him (this is tip of the iceberg) the dormer bungalow they were given was specially adapted for his disabilities not hers and now been told their rent is more than anyone else’s on that small private estate(some houses belong to our local ex council now housing association…. theirs being one). when they asked why theirs was told it was to pay for the use of the adaptations. if they are put in by the council why do they have to pay for them?(i forget the amount) but in 2009 my renovations were done as was all others.. but they put me a walk in shower (wet room) in. i have not been told my rent has increased because of needing the wet room. whats the difference?

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