Temporary reprieve for funds for disabled election candidates
By The Voice in Liberal Democrat Voice
Originally published by South Lincolnshire Liberal Democrats
Last month, David Buxton wrote about how the Government's freezing of the Access to Elected Office Fund meant that he simply couldn't stand in the 2017 General Election:
For the 2015 General Election, I obtained a grant of £40,000 from the Access to Elected Office Fund, which I used to participate in the Liberal Democrat candidate-selection process. But I could not have participated without the Fund's support.
And, last year, I was effectively barred from standing in the 2017 General Election because of the absence of the Fund.
Many other deaf and disabled candidates from the Lib Dems and from other parties are affected too, including Emily Brothers from Labour who is blind, and Simeon Hart for the Greens who is deaf, both of whom feature in the More United campaign.
The Access to Elected Office Fund used to help deaf and disabled people from all political parties, to stand for election, at any level. It ran from 2012-2015, and was intended to create a level playing field, given the additional costs that disabled people can incur when standing for election.
British Sign Language Interpreters, assistive technology for blind people and mobility transport all cost money. But the Fund was frozen, put "under review", in 2015.
That review has not been conducted or completed, and the Fund has not been re-opened. The Fund has now been closed for longer than it was open so we are calling on the Government to restore it with immediate effect.
More United ran a campaign to restore the fund and Lib Dem MPs, including Christine Jardine and Stephen Lloyd, wrote to the Government to tell them of the importance of supporting disabled candidates.
This week, they won a legal challenge and secured the fund for the 2019 elections.
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Clearly there is more work to be done to secure the long term future of this fund, but this is a very welcome step. Parliaments, town halls and governments make better decisions when they look like the population they seek to represent. We have to fight for this fund to be fully restored.