Responding to the Conservative Manifesto, Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
‘It is essential that any welfare reforms and efforts to improve accessibility for disabled people are co-produced with disabled people. There are many positive ways of supporting people to enter and stay healthy in work and feel connected and active in their local community, but reforms must be grounded in genuine ambition for disabled people to live the lives they choose, rather than be a means of cutting welfare spend.
‘The manifesto offers more of the same and misses an important opportunity to step up and further develop plans to put social care on a sustainable footing.
‘The commitment to multi-year funding settlements for local government is welcome and hopefully would allow for a less short-term approach to commissioning services. It is an unacceptable truth that the majority of charities providing essential care and support are being underfunded with too many having to resort to voluntary fundraising, cross-subsidy and use of charitable reserves. That is why we are calling on the next government to fully fund the delivery of services for disabled people and ensure public bodies adopt a transformative approach to outcomes-based commissioning that maximises partnerships with disabled people, deaf and disabled people’s organisations, third sector providers and local communities.’