Dear Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,

The Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper to reform health and disability benefits should be an opportunity for the government to hear from those directly affected.

It is essential that those most affected by these proposed changes have time to process and share their views. But there is no information provided in accessible formats at the point of launching this important consultation.

The consultation is only running for 12 weeks and whilst the consultation page indicates that accessible information will be available ‘in due course’, we are concerned that this excludes people who the Government should be listening to from the start.

Inclusion and accessibility are a basic baseline for employers to be disability confident and the Department for Work and Pensions should be a leading example of this.

We are calling for an immediate update to the consultation and accessible formats be included, simply extending the deadline implies accessibility for disabled people is an afterthought when the essence of welfare reform should focus on ensuring people get the support they need.

Signatories

  • Guy Van Dichele, Interim CEO, United Response
  • Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG)
  • Aisling Duffy, Chief Executive, Certitude
  • Sarah Maguire, Chief Executive, Choice Support
  • Rachael Dodgson, Chief Executive, Dimensions
  • Sarah Burslem, CEO, MacIntyre
  • Samantha Clark, Chief Executive, LDE
  • David Coe, Chief Executive, AFK
  • Jo Land, Chief Executive, Avenues Group
  • Ruth Gorman, Chief Executive, Imagine Act and Succeed
  • Stephen Veevers, Chief Executive, Hft
  • Richard Franklin, Chief Executive, Kisharon Langdon
  • Craig Crowley, Chief Executive, Action Deafness
  • Robert Shanahan, Chief Executive, Aspens
  • Ru Watkins, Chief Executive, Hamelin
  • Anna O’Mahony, Chief Executive, Hollybank Trust
  • Angela Murphy, Chief Executive, Fitzroy
  • Holly Spiers, Chief Executive, Walsingham Support
  • Anna McEwen, Chief Executive, Bromley Mencap
  • Sue Livett, Chief Executive, Aldingbourne Trust
  • Rachel Law, Chief Executive, PossAbilities
  • Gill Bryant, Chief Executive, Aurora Nexus
  • Jim Kane, Chief Executive, Community Integrated Care
  • Julie Bass, Chief Executive, Turning Point
  • Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO, National Care Forum
  • Lisa Hopkins, Chief Executive, SeeAbility
  • Katie Ghose, Chief Executive, Kids
  • Sarah Butcher, Chief Executive, Autism at Kingwood
  • Maria Mills, Chief Executive, Active Prospects
  • Kerry Dearden, Chief Executive, Affinity Trust
  • James Watson-O’Neill, Chief Executive, Sense