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Government challenged on budget impact
Sunil Peck
Campaigners have backed the Equality and
Human Rights Commission (EHRC) which has said that it could take court action
against the coalition government if it fails to produce evidence that it
considered the disproportionate impact its spending cuts would have on groups
including disabled people.
The EHRC has been seeking assurances that the government has complied with the Equality Act 2010 since the Spending Review was announced in June.
Neil Kinghan, Director General of the EHRC said: "Under equality legislation, the Treasury, like all public bodies, has a legal duty to pay 'due regard' to equality and consider any disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups when making decisions, including decisions about the budget."
He added: "This legislation is not designed to prevent reductions in public expenditure. Its role, and the Commission's role, is to ensure fairness is at the heart of decisions."
The EHRC's announcement comes one day after an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme in which the treasury minister Mark Hoban failed repeatedly to answer a question about whether the coalition government had assessed the disproportionate effect spending cuts would have on disabled people.
Anne Kane, Policy Manager of Inclusion London, said that she supported the EHRC's stance and that there appeared to be a "strong case" for a legal challenge.
She said: "The Budget cuts planned are clearly going to have a disproportionate impact on disabled people, who are already greatly over-represented amongst the poorest sections of society. The impact of specific attacks such as that on DLA and Incapacity Benefit will be compounded by public service cuts and cuts in Housing Benefit, Mortgage Aid and other important benefits. An estimated 178 thousand disabled people nationally stand to be affected by the cut in Housing Benefit alone and in London, an area of high market rents, this is bound to lead to disabled people losing their homes."
Vanessa Stanislas, Chief Executive of Disability Alliance, said that it was "deeply alarming" that the coalition government appeared to have failed to consider the impact spending cuts would have on disabled people.
She added: "The VAT increase alone will have a much harsher impact on disabled people who already experience greater costs of living for utilities and adaptive equipment for example, are less likely to be in work and also earn less than other citizens when in employment."
Commenting on the EHRC's announcement, Mark Shrimpton, Deputy Chief Executive of Radar, said: "We welcome this statement and believe that, given the Commission's powers, this is where the Government should be held to account."
A treasury spokesman said that government departments consider the impact of the budget measures on gender, race and disability as they develop and implement the policies which he said was in line with their legal obligations.
Disinterest by all politicians and parties
I have been blocked by the Tory MP, the ex-Labour MP said I was not allowed to speak at a meeting and cut down another disabled friend who had a stammer. And prize of prizes when I approached a Lib Dem councillor to inform her of the latest disaster their cuts had done she said quite clearly "You are just going to have to put up with it. The needs and welfare of the disabled are the sacrifice we have chosen to pay for the price of being part of concessionary coalition politics." When I objected and said they did not have the right to take away disabled rights and needs without their say so she said "We don't have to listen to you any more or consider you at all."
This was on 14th July. Since then my complaints to Lib Dem head office have turnd to nought. Been denied access to speack to a senior person or have a name or address gievn to me. Been cut off or put on answer machine. And the Lib Dem Disabled Person does not even know our own rights or the law. Sent e-mails left right and centre to Clegg, et al. No reply. So I phoned the head office and again tried to get past the receptionist who in the end said "Well if you disabled people learnt to chill out and not be so bitter maybe someone woudl actually like to hear what you say. Until then I am not surprised you have difficulty being heard. I don't want to listen to you any more either." When I said I had a right to make a complaint he said "Tough"! and cut me off again. Got an email eventually from Baroness Scott saying Lib Dems do not support prejudice against disabled. I wrote back saying that so far I had not noticed and have no evidence of that. and got through to Simon Hughes office to make a complaint and still have not had the promised return phonecall. Meanwhile the local Lib Dems don't want disabled to go into the places they do as they don't mind helping us and "sorting" us out (Oh Thanks) but do not want to have to keep meeting us and wonder if there is not a day centre or drop in centre where we could go instead. The familiar "Isn't there place for people like you to go?" "Residential home? Work House? Drop off a pier? Pay on the M25 Motorway?" "Something like that."
Trying my best but most are against us. I think they were all waiting for an excuse. This is not going to be easy.