Scope Candidates with a disability poll

A survey of people with a disability on behalf of Scope.

Date Published: 08 Jul 2012

Categories: Health | Media | Politics | Public and communities | Social | UK

Description

Disabled candidates one step closer to a more level playing field in civic life

Disabled people who have been prevented or put off from running for elected office are one step closer to a more level playing field, thanks to a new £2.6 million Access to Elected Office fund launched today by the Government.

Scope has been campaigning on the underrepresentation of disabled people in civic life for many years now. As well as the negative attitudes and assumptions many disabled candidates face, many also incur significant extra costs in their election campaigns as MPs and councillors as a result of their condition or impairment.

A representative portion of the population should place the number of disabled MPs at around 65, yet there is no exact figure because the data has never been collected.

At a last count, 14.1% of councillors indicated that they had a long term illness, health problem or disability. Whilst this figure might sound fairly high, few aspiring candidates would be able to identify a disabled councillor who they look up to as a role model.

The launch of the fund, will be open to receive applications from prospective candidates who face additional financial costs such as additional transport costs or interpreters until the end of March 2014.

Scope hopes that more disabled people in elected positions will go some way to increasing visibility and familiarity of disabled people in everyday life and tackle a deterioration of attitudes towards them.

The latest findings from Scope’s snapshot survey with ComRes found:

• Almost half of disabled people in the UK (46%) say that people’s attitudes towards them have got worse over the last year.
• More than two fifths of disabled people (45%) say they feel discriminated against at least once a week
• The majority (58%) say that they feel a stranger has acted in a ‘hostile, aggressive or violent way’ towards them because they are disabled.

Crucially the poll also found that alongside increasing the numbers of disabled people in the media and workplace; parliament was key to unlocking a more positive attitude to disabled people. 79% of disabled people feel having more disabled politicians would have a positive effect on the attitudes they experience.

Alice Maynard, Chair of disability charity Scope commented on the launch:

“Disabled people face huge extra costs in everyday life as a result of their impairment and these extra costs can be amplified for those who want to run for elected office, meaning they are woefully under-represented.

“We are therefore delighted that the Government has launched the Access to Elected Office fund which we believe marks an important step forward in increasing disabled people’s visibility and participation in society.

“Yet for Scope, the launch of this fund marks the beginning of this journey to tackle the barriers disabled people face and give them more confidence to stand for office, rather than the end. 

“The key challenge facing all those working with candidates across local authorities and political parties is how we can use this fund to attract more disabled candidates and diversify the often ‘closed’ world of local and national politics.”
 

Methodology note: ComRes surveyed 393 disabled people, 56 parents of disabled people, and 53 carers on the Disabled People’s Panel between 17th November 2011 and 6th January 2012 online. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.