Fund launched to support disabled candidates stand for office
Women and Equalities Minister, Penny Mordaunt launched an interim fund worth £250,000 to help cover disability-related expenses so people can stand in elections
People with disabilities are likely to face greater costs when seeking elected office due to their disability. This fund will help them to compete on a level playing field with all other candidates.
Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt said:
“Everyone has the right to stand and represent their community – and it is vital no-one is held back.
“Empowering people with disabilities leads to better decisions and more effective outcomes for all of us.
“Unless every one of our citizens can reach their full potential our nation never will.”
The EnAble Fund for Elected Office will run until 2020. Alongside this, the government is undertaking a programme of work with disability stakeholders to help political parties to better support disabled candidates.
People can bid for a range of support, including:
- transport support for mobility impaired candidates
- specialist equipment such as screen reader software
- British Sign Language interpretation for hearing impaired candidates during election campaigns
- the transcription of campaign material into braille for visually impaired candidates
The fund, which will be delivered by Disability Rights UK supported by the Local Government Association, should help political parties prioritise this issue and take action to ensure no one is disadvantaged in the democratic process.