More than 2,500 leading voices from the UK’s arts sector, including the heads of the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, have signed an open letter warning that Labour’s proposed changes to the Access to Work scheme risk excluding disabled people from the workforce entirely.
Indhu Rubasingham, artistic director of the National Theatre, and Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans, co-artistic directors of the RSC, were among the signatories to the letter, which accuses the government of jeopardising decades of progress on workplace inclusion. Addressed to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the letter warns that the reforms outlined in the Pathways to Work green paper could have a “devastating impact” on disabled employment rates, particularly in the cultural sector.
“We have worked for decades to ensure that the sector can provide better work for disabled people, and now the proposals threaten that progress,” the letter states. “There is a clear need to reform Access to Work, but this must be based on constructively supporting disabled people into meaningful work, not a cost-cutting exercise.”
The Access to Work scheme, administered by the DWP, offers financial support to help disabled people enter or stay in work. The grant can fund specialist equipment, transport, job coaches and interpreters—crucial adjustments that often exceed legal obligations placed on employers.
Recent reports suggest, however, that the scheme is already being quietly curtailed. Disability rights campaigner and comedian Jess Thom recently revealed that her Access to Work payments had been slashed by 61%, rendering her unable to continue her work.
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