News story

Tackling the obstacles faced by disabled people

The Government has published its response to the Access to Elected Office for disabled people public consultation which sought views on how to provide extra support for disabled people who are seeking elected office.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
  • setting up an access to elected office fund
    • boosted training and development
    • raising awareness of the challenges faced by disabled people
    • cascading good practice on disability access policies
    • promoting legal obligations.

Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said:

‘The government is tackling the obstacles faced by disabled people who want to become MPs, councillors or other elected officials and today we are announcing that we are taking forward five of the six proposals from our public consultation.

‘Over the coming months we will work with political and disability groups to develop these initiatives and will make further announcements in due course.’

Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform Mark Harper said:

‘Britain deserves the best candidates for our democracy. That means making sure disability isn’t a barrier to becoming an MP, councillor or any other type of elected official.

‘Disabled people are under-represented in public office. We are committed to providing the extra support some candidates need.’

Next steps

In the coming months GEO will work with political and disability stakeholders to develop these proposals before making a further announcement.

The 12-week consultation closed on 11 May 2011. 

Published 13 September 2011