New fund to help disabled people become MPs

By Helen Duffett | Wed 16th February 2011 - 6:53 pm

Disabled people who want to become MPs, councillors or other elected officials will have access to a fund to help them overcome the barriers they face, under Government proposals published today.

A £1 million package, including training and mentoring programmes are planned, following the recommendations made by the cross-party Speaker’s Conference in January 2010 on how to improve the representation of women, disabled people and minority ethnic people in the House of Commons.

Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said,

We are committed to cleaning up politics and restoring the trust of the people in Parliament. A key tool in doing this is to ensure that MPs are fully representative of those who elect them, so I am delighted that this government is creating a fund to ensure we attract the best talent out there. It is not right that disabled people should face barriers to becoming an elected representative, but where they do we are committed to helping people overcome them.

The Government has started a consultation to seek views from across the community, including disabled people and those involved in the political process at all levels.

You can find the consultation document and response form here.

3 Comments

Jack Holroyde 16th Feb '11 - 6:58pm

I wonder if they ever plan on making the HoC deaf friendly?
I’d laugh if someone did their maiden speech in BSL…
Alec Macph 16th Feb '11 - 9:29pm

Oh, gawd, please don’t let this mean Jody McIntyre is going to run for Parliament.

~alec
g 17th Feb '11 - 9:03am

The government recently changed the rules on how much assistance they provide to people with certain Specific Learning Difficulties so that the employer picks up considerably more of the costs of providing them with the tools needed to work. The above plans are just a fig leaf trying to cover up the increasing difficulties people with disabilities will have due to the focus of spending cuts.