Responses from prospective parliamentary candidates in Twickenham and Richmond Park constituencies. Responses were requested from all candidates in these areas. Richmond AID Responses from Sandra Keen Responses from Munira Wilson and Questions (Labour) Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrats) Question: what are Labour will scrap Universal Credit. We will immediately The botched roll-out of Universal Credit and the freezing of your/ your party’s stop moving people onto it and design an alternative working age benefits since 2015 by the Conservative plans to reverse cuts system that treats people with dignity and respect. Government have disproportionately impacted disabled to benefit entitlements people and those from low income households. and services for We will start developing this system immediately. But disabled people? we have learned the lessons from Tory failure: major The Liberal Democrats would reform the welfare system so policy change can’t be delivered overnight, especially that it supports those who need it and helps people back when people’s lives depend on it. So we will also into work. We would invest £6bn per year over the next implement an emergency package of reforms to Parliament to strengthen the welfare system which has mitigate some of the worst features of UC while we suffered from chronic underfunding. We will also reduce develop our replacement system and end the five-week the first payment under Universal Credit from five weeks to wait by introducing an interim payment based on half five days. There is no need to make people wait five weeks an estimated monthly entitlement. to receive their first benefits payment, during which time The single payment in Universal Credit has come people are left to struggle financially and risk becoming under fierce criticism for putting women at risk of destitute. financial coercion and control, with disabled women more at risk. Urgent changes Labour will make to The Independent Living Fund was closed in 2015, with Universal Credit include protecting women in abusive responsibility passing to local authorities. Given that local relationships by splitting payments and paying the child authorities already have hugely over-stretched budgets, element to the primary carer. We will make it easier for the availability of funding has decreased, meaning that people to manage their living costs by introducing people are receiving less support. We would reinstate the fortnightly payments and paying the housing element Independent Living Fund to help people who need it to live directly to landlords. independently in their community. We would increase the role and funding of local authorities in administering the We will: support to ensure that it is properly responsive to local needs. Increase Employment and Support Allowance by £30 per week for those in the work-related activity group Cuts to the Employment Support Allowance for those in the (reversing changes implemented in 2017) Work-Related Activity Group has had devasting effects on Raise the basic rate of support for children with people with disabilities. There is no evidence for the belief disabilities to the level of Child Tax Credits. that reducing the ESA-WRAG incentivises disabled people to find work. The Liberal Democrats strongly oppose these Ensure that severely disabled people without a formal cuts and would reverse them for all those affected. We carer receive extra support to enable them to meet the would put an extra £1.28bn into the ESA and the extra costs they inevitably face. (reversing the removal Independent Living Fund by the end of the next Parliament. of Severe Disability Premium for claimants on Universal Credit) The Liberal Democrats believe Work Capability Support those who look after others, increasing the Assessments are failing people with disabilities. The Carer’s Allowance to the level of the Jobseeker’s process of testing can be humiliating and stressful, and the Allowance. assessment is inadequate for people with hidden disabilities, especially learning disabilities and mental Stop housing costs running away from benefit health conditions. The Liberal Democrats would therefore claimants by scrapping the bedroom tax and increasing end the Work Capability Assessments and replace them the Local Housing Allowance to ensure that claimants with a new system that is run by local authorities and are not having to pay large shortfalls between their based on real-world tests. The new system would be benefit and the true cost of their rent. conducted fairly and in a sensitive manner, ensuring that assessors are trained to work with people who have hidden disabilities and mental health conditions. Question: What will We will end the punitive sanctions regime, immediately The Liberal Democrats would scrap the sanctions system. you/your party do to suspending all sanctions and removing the claimant The evidence suggests that sanctions are not effective in remove conditionality agreement. encouraging people into work and are instead likely to and sanctions that penalise people with mental health issues and disabilities. impact on disabled This can deter people from claiming and potentially lead to people? destitution. To support more people into work, we would introduce a new scheme based on incentives for people looking for jobs that would replace the current ineffective sanctions system. Question: What are Legal aid cuts mean essential legal help is too often The Liberal Democrats will establish a new right to your/your party’s denied. To help people enforce their rights, we will affordable legal assistance, and invest £500 million to plans for investment restore all early legal aid advice, including for housing, restore Legal Aid, making the system simpler and more in independent, social security, family and immigration cases. We will generous. We will restore legal aid for early legal advice accessible, free recruit hundreds of new community lawyers, promote and assistance – and representation where merited – in advice, advocacy and public legal education and build an expanded network welfare, debt, employment, immigration, housing and legal support for of law centres. family law cases. disabled people? The Labour Party acknowledges that in the years of austerity it was non-government organisations that often held the social fabric of our society together, protecting our communities from even greater harm and providing precisely targeted support. As we rebuild our public services, we will support and maintain the social capital values of these organisations. I personally know how vital advice and advocacy services are to ensuring representation, advocacy, fighting disenfranchisement, promoting inclusion and improving overall wellbeing of so many and would fight to ensure that these invaluable but over stretched resources are fully funded and supported by national and local government. Question: What are Labour will take robust action against violence and Our manifesto has a commitment to tackling the rise in your/your party’s hate crime, developing a cross-department strategy to hate crimes by making them all aggravated offences. The plans to give Disability deliver strong and cohesive communities. Additionally, definition of ‘aggravated offences’ must be extended to hate crime parity in Labour will recruit 10,000 more police officers to work include hostility based on disability. This would send a law with other hate on community beats. clear message that no form of hate crime can be tolerated. crimes? We would ensure that law enforcement has the resources Labour will incorporate disability hate crime into law and training they need to identify hate crime towards and ensure that under the Istanbul Convention, disability and prevent it. disability hate crime and violence against disabled women is reported annually, and put in place comprehensive national action plans. We will strengthen the Equality Act in order to reflect the social model of disability, empower disabled people to be confident in challenging all forms of discrimination and prejudice, where ever it occurs. Question: How do you Labour supports the principle of ‘nothing about us I would welcome the opportunity to work with DPOs such intend to work with without us’ and I wholeheartedly agree. Therefore, I will as RAID and listen to the day-to-day experience of service Disabled People’s develop collaborative relationships with DPOs being users. I know there are number of local issues which Organisations (DPOs) informed by organisations and their client’s knowledge people face relating to employment, access to services or like Richmond AID? and experience to ensure that all DPOs are able to independent living. I would endeavour to use my position to provide a service that benefits their clients and influence, wherever possible, the local authority, communities alike. businesses, transport providers and other groups to ensure the concerns and the voice of disabled people are heard Labour will work with disabled people’s organisations loudly and clearly. I also want to influence national to develop a replacement to the current assessment legislation in order to remove barriers for disabled people, systems based on a personalised, holistic assessment and I would be keen to hear from service users as and framework that provides each individual with a tailored when legislation is passing through parliament in order to plan, building on their strengths and addressing shape and improve that legislation. barriers. Assessments need to be more responsive, particularly for claimants with progressive and fluctuating conditions. .