News round-up

New unit aims to wipe out child poverty

Disability campaigners welcomed a new government unit aimed at eradicating child poverty in the UK, but warned that plans must particularly consider families with disabled children.

The new Child Poverty Unit will oversee government plans to halve child poverty by
2010 and abolish it completely by 2020, bringing together experts from the Departments for Work and Pensions and for Children, Schools and Families.

Linda Studds, policy manager for Family Fund, which provides grants to low-income families with disabled children, said: “What that unit really needs to do now is to look at the specific needs of families with disabled children. Providing it does this, we really welcome it. The government is moving in the right direction.”

MPs call for new SEN system

MPs repeated demands for a reform of the system for assessing and funding special educational needs (SEN) support.

At present, local councils are responsible for assessing and funding provision, but the education and skills committee said the respon­sibilities for assessing and funding should be under­taken by separate bodies.

The government has already rejected similar calls from the committee because it said any separation would lead to more bureaucracy.

Richard Rieser, director of Disability Equality in Education, dismissed the committee's demands and said the current system could work.

Schools minister Andrew Adonis said the government would be "carefully consider­ing" the ideas put forward by the committee, and will research ideas for increasing parents’ trust in the SEN system.

Disabled ex-serviceman fronts 2007 Poppy Appeal

An image of a disabled ex-serviceman was seen on posters around the country. Allen Parton, from Hampshire, featured in hundreds of posters in a campaign to persuade people to work as volunteer poppy-sellers for this year’s Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Formerly in the Navy, Mr Parton was injured in the 1991 Gulf War. By taking part in the campaign, he said he was giving something back to the Royal British Legion.

‘No need’ for new abortion law

MPs concluded that the abortion laws do not need to be reformed and that a definition of “serious handicap”, which permits women to seek termination up to term, does not need clarification.

The science and technology select committee said it would not be feasible to compile “an exhaustive list of abnormalities” to guide those deciding if a late termination was permissible.

But it said “further guidance on what ‘serious handicap’ means would be helpful”, and called for better data collection.

Abortion is set to be debated when the human tissue and embryos bill comes before the Commons in the next parliamentary session.

Man jailed for dying woman outrage

A man who urinated on a disabled woman as she lay dying was sent to prison for three years.

Anthony Anderson, 27, from Raby Road, Hartlepool, had pleaded guilty to outraging public decency.

Christine Lakinski had collapsed at her front door in Hartlepool. Anderson carried out a series of humiliating acts against Miss Lakinski while his friend filmed the events on his mobile phone. A crowd stood and watched.

A post-mortem later confirmed that Miss Lakinski died of natural causes.

Judge Peter Fox, sentencing Anderson at Teesside Crown Court, said: “You violated this woman in an incredible way and the shocking nature of your acts over a prolonged period of time must mean that a prison sentence of greater length is appropriate in this case.”



Delay over single equalities bill

Disability organisations called on the government to publish a draft single equality bill, following news that proposed legislation had been pulled from last month’s Queen’s Speech.

The calls came after negative reactions to the government’s green paper, published in June, which critics said weakens the disability equality duty on public bodies.
A government spokeswoman said the bill was likely to be included in the next Queen’s Speech, in November 2008.

She said the government hopes to publish draft clauses of the bill before then and that it would publish a response to the green paper consultation around the turn of the year.

Fire death mum and daughter ‘bullied’

Police in Leicestershire confirmed that a mother and her disabled daughter, who died in a car fire in Leicestershire, had faced a sustained campaign of intimidation and bullying from a gang of youths.

The police said Fiona Pilkington, mother of 18-year-old Francesca, had reported “several incidents of anti-social behaviour” to the force. 

Police believe Miss Pilkington killed herself and her daughter. They are not seeking anyone else in connection with their deaths.



Friends and neighbours said that Francesca, who had learning difficulties, was often teased because of her impairment. They claimed youths pelted their home with eggs and stones.

Cash boost for user-led groups

The government announced a cash boost to support user-led organisations (ULOs) of disabled people.

About 10 grants will be handed out this year from a new £850,000 fund. The grants will be given to existing ULOs, which provide services such as advocacy, housing advice, employment training and direct payments assistance.

The government wants each local authority area with social services responsibilities to have its own ULO, modelled on existing centres for independent living (CIL).

But ULOs have been losing out to larger charities and organisations when bidding for contracts to provide services.

Blue badge spaces at London 2012

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been declared car-free destinations, with all spectators having to travel by foot, public transport, or bicycle – except for some disabled people with blue badges.

In March, Disability Now reported how plans for the Olympic Park had placed blue badge parking up to 250 metres away from the entrance to the park, with a “games mobility service” in operation alongside rest stops and a “range of accessible seating”.

The Olympic Delivery Authority now says there will be at least 550 blue badge parking spaces, although plans have not yet been finalised. There will also be accessible tube, bus and rail travel, and direct coach services.

Inside the Olympic Park, a mobility service will include a manual wheelchair and electric scooter loan scheme, and an internal electric vehicle escort system.