What do the election candidates in Sheffield offer to disabled people?

The last 15 years have been devastating for many disabled people in the UK. The benefit cuts started by the Labor government have been drastically scaled up by the Tories, initially enabled (a little too enthusiastically) by the Lib Dems. We are four to five times more likely to feel lonely and have lower life satisfaction and higher levels of anxiety than our non-disabled counterparts.

So for disabled people, the policies and beliefs of the people who want to become our next MP are particularly important. But as we see in the campaigns around us, we don’t seem to be a priority for them.

Relentlessly insightful reporting from the Disability News Service tells us that in the first televised debate, “Disabled people were not mentioned once (…) although participants spoke more than 21,000 words in more than two hours”. John Pring also points out that the Tory manifesto does not have “a single new policy aimed at improving the lives of disabled people” and that Reform UK has published a manifesto “which repeatedly threatens the rights of disabled people, suggests that it will be a significant role. safeguarding risks to benefit claimants and warns of massive cuts in public benefits and service spending”. Nor does Labor escape Pring’s attention, having “published an election manifesto that was stripped of key promises the party has made on disability rights”.

Disabled People Against Cuts has provided a summary of the main parties’ key pledges, and Mencap links to Easy Read manifestos from the Green Party, Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats.

But what about our local candidates? What does it plan to do to improve the lives of disabled people in and around Sheffield?

42 candidates are in six constituencies in Sheffield. I emailed all Labour, Conservative, Greens, Labor and two of the Lib Dem candidates (the party did not respond to my request for contact details for the other candidates). I asked each of the people I contacted three questions, with a word limit.

I don’t know if most of the candidates aren’t proud of their plans to improve the lives of people with disabilities, have no plans to help people with disabilities, haven’t prioritized this group of constituents, or just don’t get me. email, but the vast majority did not respond. Each of us can come to our own conclusions about this.

However, four electoral candidates responded and their responses are below.

How would you fix the crisis in disability welfare?

Angela Argenzio (Green Party / Sheffield Central)

With investment. For too long local authorities have been underfunded and the impact on social care has been enormous. I see this every day in my work as a local councillor. People with disabilities pay the price.

The Green Party is committed to boosting investment of £20 billion a year in social care. This will ensure we can have the services we need.

Abtisam Mohamed (Labour Party / Sheffield Central)

People should have power over their own care, but unfortunately the recruitment crisis in this field and the number of providers withdrawing from the field is reducing people’s choice about the care and support they need.

Long-term reform is essential for sustainable, high-quality care, not short-term answers.

Labor pledged to work towards the creation of a “National Care Service”. We will explore how integration with the NHS can be ensured and how to move to a more preventative system.

Hannah Nicklin (Green Party / Sheffield South East)

My mother worked most of her life in adult social care as an occupational therapist. We have seen the damage done by successive governments to health and social care at first hand. The Green Party will invest in both, producing a country where everyone receives compassion and dignity at any stage of life when they need support.

The elected Greens will strive to:

• Free personal care
• Increased rates of pay and a career structure for carers to rebuild the care workforce
• Investment of £20 billion a year

Alexi Dimond (Green Party / Sheffield Heeley)

To tackle the social care crisis, if elected I will push for free personal care to ensure dignity for disabled people, increased pay rates and a career structure for carers to rebuild the care workforce and investment of 20 billions of pounds a year in social care.

Do you think the benefits system works for people with disabilities? If so, how? If not, how would you fix it?

Hannah Nicklin (Green Party / Sheffield South East)

We must ensure that everyone can lead a full and meaningful life; work if they choose and access the help and support they need.

The elected Greens will:

• Increase disability benefits by 5% immediately
• Oppose PIP moving to ‘voucher’ payments and reform PIP
• Provide free transport for SEND pupils aged 16 to 18
• Ensure that workers with disabilities have workplace support, pay and appropriate conditions
• It supports the right to inclusive social assistance and housing according to the principles of universal design

Alexi Dimond (Green Party / Sheffield Heeley)

Not. Successive Conservative governments have undermined the progress made by disabled people to live dignified lives as valued members of society. If I were elected, I would fight for:

• Restore the value of disability benefits with an immediate 5% increase
• Stop targeting carers and disabled people on benefits
• Option for plans to replace cash PIP payments with ‘vouchers’
• Stop intrusive eligibility tests like PIP

Angela Argenzio (Green Party / Sheffield Central)

No, it is not. The Greens would restore the value of disability benefits with an immediate 5% increase. We also need to stop the unfair targeting of carers and disabled people on benefits.

We must oppose plans to replace PIP cash payments with vouchers and reform intrusive eligibility tests like PIP.

Abtisam Mohamed (Labour Party / Sheffield Central)

I have worked with many people trying to navigate the complicated process of claiming benefits. Universal Credit is online, which can be difficult for those without access to a computer.

For those with a health condition, it is further complicated by the hurdles of filling out additional forms, meeting with health professionals, and occasionally attending appeal hearings. The process must be more human, simpler, easier to access and navigate.

How would you make your constituency less accessible to people with disabilities?

Abtisam Mohamed (Labour Party / Sheffield Central)

I would work with the local authority to see how we meet our requirements to become a disabled friendly city. I know that the Accessible Sheffield project works in partnership with AccessAble, Disability Sheffield and Nimbus Disability to support Sheffield’s ambitions to become an accessible and fairer city for everyone who lives, works, studies and visits Sheffield.

I would see how I could best use my position if elected to help achieve these ambitions.

Alexi Dimond (Green Party / Sheffield Heeley)

As well as funding social care and affordable homes, if elected I would like to reduce traffic, introduce 20mph as the default speed limit on roads in all built-up areas, allowing children, elderly and disabled people to walk and safe wheel.

I would try to make it compulsory for councils to provide free transport for 16-18 year olds with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Angela Argenzio (Green Party / Sheffield Central)

Physically, by improving the condition of pavements and removing unnecessary clutter and stopping dangerous parking and driving. Promoting spaces that are accessible to neurodiverse people. Advocate to make the city as a whole autism friendly and accessible to all. Improving the opportunities for disabled residents to work and study if they choose to do so, through schemes to support employers to make the necessary adaptations, but also to support those who wish to be self-employed.

Hannah Nicklin (Green Party / Sheffield South East)

People with disabilities are not an afterthought in the Green Party’s 2024 manifesto. Fairness, justice and access are all at the heart of it. Every investment we propose will make our local communities more accessible.

As we invest in public transport, active travel infrastructure, greening and (rightly) the quality of public buildings such as hospitals and schools, accessibility will be a priority and a duty. The green policy will have an immediate and lasting impact on accessibility in Sheffield South East.