Here is where you can get information on Inclusion London’s policy as well as news about important developments

If you don't find what you are looking for, don’t assume its because we don't think its important. Its more likely that we just have not had time to cover it. We welcome information and news - and will do our best to use anything sent to us.

The London Plan is the spatial development strategy for the city. It sets standards for London’s economic, social, environmental and transport development. The accessibility of houses, hotels, public buildings, transport infrastructure and public spaces are all affected by the London Plan.

London Boroughs and developers need to work within the London Plan.

A new version of the London Plan is currently being proposed by the Mayor of London. It will set standards for London’s development over the next 20 to 25 years. It will replace the existing Plan (published in 2004).

This Draft London Plan is now being discussed in an ‘Examination in Public’ (EIP). This EIP takes place over several months this year.

Inclusion London has been making the case for the London Plan to plan for a fully accessible and inclusive London. We want to see the many good policies in the existing London Plan retained and built on. We do not want standard to drop - and we are opposing attempts to lower standards in a way that would be bad for disabled people in London. We have been promoting policies to support lifetime homes, inclusive neighbourhoods, accessible transport and other important issues to make London more accessible.

We have used the views of London Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations gathered in the last year, including at our consultation event in December 2009.

Inclusion London has been seated at four sessions of the Examination in Public to speak in favour of the improvements we want. These are on 9 September (Transport), 14 September (Inclusive Environment), 5 October (Equal Life Chances) and 8 October (Lifetime Homes). Members of the public can attend these sessions. You can find out exact details on the GLA website.

Inclusion London has submitted ‘Written Statements’ in support of our approach to the issues these sessions will discuss. These address questions identified by the Panel Inspector.

You can download Inclusion London’s written statements here
 

The Greater London Authority has produced a new draft Disability Equality Scheme (DES). The draft DES is being circulated for consultation until 15 October.

Copies of the DES can be found at the following web address: http://www.london.gov.uk/consultation/disability-equality-scheme

While the fact that the GLA has produced a proposed new scheme is welcome, it has the feel of a document that has been pulled together hastily. There is a worrying level of confusion and lack of transparency.

The relationship between proposed objectives, the actions needed to reach objectives and how success will be measured is not clear. The equality objectives that the mayor proposes to ‘measure’ are shown in Chapter 6 of the DES but the list omits some very important areas of GLA influence. The Scheme reveals a drop in the representation of disabled people among GLA employees.

The Greater London Authority’s approach to equality for disabled people is very important. The GLA has a lot of direct powers that can be used to improve equality for disabled people. The DES is an opportunity to consider all the ways in which the GLA can use its powers to improve equality for disabled people and set out clear and measurable objectives.

Inclusion London hopes that disabled people’s organisations will seize this opportunity to respond to the consultation on the GLA’s new proposed DES.

Inclusion London has set out its views in an information paper which can be downloaded here:
 

Disabled people will suffer directly and indirectly. Directly through attacks on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and other disability benefits, and on other supports such as Housing Benefit (HB) on which Deaf and disabled people rely, by virtue of a greater likelihood to be disadvantaged, have faced discrimination and to live in poverty. Indirectly, through job cuts, a tougher employment market, cuts in services, the rise in VAT and in other ways.

The government has chosen to load the burden of its fiscal deficit reduction plans on the poorest and most disadvantaged people in society. At the same time it has set out a series of steps that will cut the likelihood of economic growth, which is the pre-requisite for sustainable deficit reduction.

Inclusion London has analysed what the Budget means for disabled people. We look at the alternatives and we look at how disabled people can make their views heard.

Download Budget information paper below.

In June, Inclusion London submitted evidence to the London Assembly’s Transport Committee investigation into the accessibility of London’s transport network.

The Commmittee wanted to know what Londoners thought about the accessibility of transport and what more action was needed to address their needs.

Inclusion London consulted DDPOs in London and passed on views based on its survey and the similar work done to inform our submission to the Mayor's (then) proposed Transport Strategy earlier this year.

The investigation is focusing on the experience of Londoners who rely on the public transport network but whose mobility is restricted in some way. This includes disabled people, older people and parents with buggies and young children. The Committee is taking a ‘whole journey’ approach considering accessibility issues at each stage in a journey from planning the journey to undertaking the trip on different types of public transport such as buses, the Tube and London Overground rail.

The Committee wants to identify the extent to which current measures designed to improve the accessibility of Transport for London (TfL)’s services meet the needs of those with reduced mobility. It is also assessing the scale of the challenge in making the transport network accessible for the projected increasing numbers of people with reduced mobility.

The Committee held a meeting to discuss the issues on 23rd June, which Inclusion London attended. A further meeting will be held later in the year - we will advertise it when we have details.

You can read the views that we submitted to the committee below.

The Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government has begun to set out its policies for government. This information paper identifies key policies, so far announced, that are particularly relevant to disabled and Deaf people.

You can download the full information paper below.

Parliament passes Equality Bill

 On 6 April the Equality Bill completed its passage in parliament after the House of Commons approved amendments made in the House of Lords. The Bill will be given Royal Assent in the next few days. The Equality Bill (to become the Equality Act) will merge and replace existing anti-discrimination legislation, including the Disability Discrimination Act.

 Many of the recent changes approved involved disability, such as:

• making it unlawful to ask job applicants disability and health questions before job offers, except in prescribed circumstances;
• making explicit that reasonable adjustments for disabled people include reasonable steps to provide information in accessible formats, when the way information is provided would otherwise put disabled people at a substantial disadvantage.
• requiring schools to provide auxiliary aids for disabled pupils, where reasonable;
• making clear that costs of reasonable adjustments cannot generally be passed on to a disabled person;
• increasing the potential number of wheelchair-accessible taxis.

 The full text of the House of Commons debate on 6 April can be read at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100406/debtext/100406-0021.htm#1004073000001

Inclusion London will be doing more work to raise awareness of the implications of the new legislation after the General Election – so watch this space!

This is a briefing from Inclusion London to alert Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations in London to an important consultation being undertaken by the Law Commission.

The Law Commission is undertaking a consultation on its proposals for reform of the law relating to adult social care. The Commission believes that the legislative framework for adult social care is ‘inadequate, often incomprehensible and outdated’ and says that the purpose of its proposals is to establish ‘a simple, consistent, transparent and modern framework for adult social care law’.

The Transport Committee of the London Assembly is conducting an investigation into how Dial-a-Ride is operating in London. The investigation will look at whether there have been improvements in Dial-a-Ride services since commitments made in March 2009.

A briefing was written by Inclusion London and circulated, on 1^stDecember, to Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations in London and other relevant organisations and individuals which are part of Inclusion London’s network or have requested policy briefings. The briefing highlighted the fact that the consultation on the draft Health Inequalities Strategy was taking place, provided information on how the relevant documents could be obtained, set out the deadlines and important information about the process. The briefing also drew attention to particular issues in the draft Strategy which Inclusion London considered particularly relevant for Deaf and disabled people and which we intended to take up in our response. Recipients were invited to respond with comments or for further information. Comments received were used to inform this response.

You can download the consultation response below.

This paper represents Inclusion London’s response to the consultation on the draft Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy, due to close on 12^th January 2010.

You can download the consultation response below.

This briefing note provides information following Inclusion London’s consultation event on Tuesday 8 December. The meeting discussed key Mayoral draft strategies – the Draft Replacement London Plan and the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. Both of these are out for public consultation until 12 January 2010.

The meeting was very well attended, participative and vibrant. It was the first such event held by Inclusion London. The very strong response was testament both to concerns held on these issues and the support that exists for a London-wide organisation championing equality for Deaf and Disabled people in the capital.

For further information on the Mayor's draft London plan, go to
www.london.gov.uk/shaping-london/london-plan/

and for information on how you can contribute to the final shape of the final plan, visit the London Plan examination in public website:
www.london.gov.uk/london-plan-eip

This paper is from Inclusion London – the London-wide Deaf and disabled people’s organisation. It provides information on the consultation that is currently taking place on the Mayor’s draft replacement London Plan and on two related strategies – the Transport Strategy and the Economic Development Strategy. All these strategies are being reviewed and are open to consultation now. It is being provided as background for the meeting Inclusion London is holding on Tuesday 8 December 2009.

You can download the paper below. 

This briefing note provides information following Inclusion London’s consultation event on Tuesday 8 December. The meeting discussed key Mayoral draft strategies – the Draft Replacement London Plan and the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. Both of these are out for public consultation until 12 January 2010.

The meeting was very well attended, participative and vibrant. It was the first such event held by Inclusion London. The very strong response was testament both to concerns held on these issues and the support that exists for a London-wide organisation championing equality for Deaf and Disabled people in the capital.

You can download the Consultation Respone below.

How much do you know about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)? The Convention is an international treaty which explains that all disabled people in the UK – and around the world – have and should be able to enjoy the same human rights as other people. It sets an international benchmark for the human rights of disabled people. The British government has ratified the Convention (although with too many qualifications for our liking) – but how many people know about this important treaty and what will it mean for our lives?

The Convention is a watershed document – but it needs to be fully incorporated into UK law by the government and strongly enforced. Much more awareness about the breadth of the Convention and guidance on what it means are needed.

The Convention is a very detailed document which covers all areas of life, including employment, health, culture, liberty and accessibility. More information about it can be found on the ODI website www.odi.gov.uk and on the UN Enable website www.un.org/disabilities

Disabled people and their organisations have a key role to play in work on the Convention. One of the Convention’s important principles is that disabled people and their organisations should be involved in putting it into practice.

Inclusion London will be working to raise awareness about the Convention in the coming year.

Inclusion London has produced this briefing to help ensure that Deaf and disabled people’s organisations in London are aware of the consultation and are supported to be involved.

You can download th briefing paper below.

The Government published the White Paper, Building a National Care Service, on was published on 30 March. More information can be found at http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/

Inclusion London welcomes the fact that the Green Paper accepts that the current system for funding care and support for adults in England is unfair: lots of people get no or very little funding, there is a postcode lottery and there is inflexibility and off-putting bureaucracy.

This paper is from Inclusion London. It provides information on a consultation currently underway on the government’s Green Paper proposing ways to change the care and support system for adults in England. It explains how London Deaf and disabled people’s organisations (DDPOs) can engage with the consultation and sets out the views of Inclusion London.

The consultation – the timetable and how to contribute

The deadline has now gone.

Download Inclusion London's paper below.