The UK’s Government has delivered yet another budget that fails to provide adequate support for people with disabilities, confirmed the Business Disability Forum (BDF).
Despite, many welcome initiatives announced in this year’s budget, a lot was excluded to support people with disabilities; a group that has been hugely impacted by Covid-19. There was not much for disabled people and businesses seeking to increase the inclusion of disabled people as talented workers and valuable consumers, according to the UK’s leading business and disability membership organisation.
“We have heard yet another budget that has not invested in removing barriers for disabled people’s economic participation,” stated Angela Matthews, Head of Policy at Business Disability Forum. “Equally there was no mention of investment in the social care system, which supports people to contribute to the UK workforce and to spend in the businesses that are opening up again. There was also no mention of how the Government will fund the National Disability Strategy, which it is due to publish shortly. Disabled people do not need another well-meaning strategy with no financial investment to make any meaningful changes.”
DISABILITY CONCERNS
BDF expressed concern over a number of areas excluded from the recent Budget. They include:
- Investment to remove barriers for disabled people’s economic participation. There was no mention of the need to reinvest in Access to Work and to develop inclusive digital infrastructure, and job schemes designed with disability inclusion in mind.
- Investment in the social care system which supports people to contribute to the UK workforce and to spend in the businesses that are opening up again.
- Financial measures to support the Government’s soon to be published National Disability Strategy. It is unclear how the Budget matches the ambition of the impending strategy. Disabled people do not need another well-meaning strategy with no financial investment to make any meaningful changes.
DISABLED JOB SEEKER NEEDS
That said, BDF welcomed several initiatives announced in the recent Budget, such as the extension of the furlough scheme and the Universal Credit uplift. “Alongside this, the announcement of a business rate relief scheme for those working in the hospitality, accommodation and attraction sectors, and the new recovery loan scheme will be of interest to many our members,” noted Matthews.
She believes the move to a flexi-job approach to the apprenticeship scheme “is sensible”, but said it “must be coupled with a reworking of the Access to Work scheme to make it more responsive to the needs of disabled jobseekers and employers”.
It’s also vital “not to downplay the impact that this pandemic has had and continues to have on disabled people”, stressed Matthews. “The Chancellor’s assertion that “our response [to the pandemic] is working” does not reflect the reality for many disabled people who have not fared well as a result of the lack of effective health data to determine vaccine prioritisation. Many have also been given information about vaccines and consent that is inaccessible to them.”
For disabled people and businesses seeking to increase the inclusion of disabled people as talented workers and as valuable consumers, “what is missing in the budget may be louder than what is included”, added Matthews. “Far from the Chancellor saying the Government will do ‘whatever it takes; to recover the economy, we are left questioning whether the provisions are sufficient to deliver the future inclusive (and therefore, resilient) economy that we hope for and need.”
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