Latest news
Please check this page for our latest news and recent work.
1st February 2010 - Coalition seeks Campaign and Policy Support Officer
The Learning Disability Coalition is seeking a Campaign and Policy Support Officer. Click here to download the Job Description and Person Specification for this post.
Application form available here
21st January 2010 - Support Mencap's "Get My Vote" campaign
Mencap's campaign calls on politicians to make their election campaigns more accessible by cutting down on jargon and using easy read and other accessible forms of information.
You can support Mencap's campign by taking action here
20th January 2010 - United Response launches Every Vote Counts report
United Response are launching their "Every Vote Counts!" report today at the House of Commons.
You can find out all about the Every Vote Counts campaign here
13th January 2010 - MP mentions Coalition in Committee stage of Bill
The Coalition and its Director, Anthea Cox, were mentioned by Stephen O'Brien MP in the Committee stage of the Personal Care at Home Bill (12th January).
Read what was said here
13th January 2010 - Invite your local candidates to the Sense training events
In the run up to this year's general election, Sense are running training events around the country for parliamentary candidates. The events will train candidates in:
- - How to ensure disabled people can vote
- - How to make their campaign is accessible
- - How to use appropriate language
Click here to invite your local candidates to attend one of these events.
23rd December 2009 - Coalition mentioned in Personal Care at Home Bill discussion
The Learning Disability Coalition was mentioned by Stephen O’Brien MP in the recent second reading of the Personal Care at Home Bill (14th December).
14th December 2009 - Personal Care at Home Bill
The Coalition has sent a briefing to MPs regarding the Personal Care at Home Bill, which sets out some of our concerns regarding the Bill.
9th December 2009 - Coalition warns against further cuts
The Learning Disability Coalition has warned that announcements made in the Pre Budget Report must not be used as an opportunity to reduce expenditure on those services accessed by people with a learning disability, their families and carers.
26th November 2009 - Coalition kicks off Conservative Party Conference
The Coalition kicked off the Conservative Party Conference this October with a football match between Conservative MPs and the Coalition’s team, composed of people with learning disabilities.
We won 4-2 and it was a great opportunity to discuss funding issues with the Conservatives.
25th November 2009 - Funding concerns after paralympic ban lifted
The Paralympic ban on learning disabled athletes has finally been lifted. However, there are concerns that a lack of funding will mean that learning disabled athletes will remain excluded from London 2012.
20th November 2009 - Learning Disability Coalition submits Green Paper response
Last week the Coalition submitted its response to the Green Paper 'Shaping the Future of Care Together'.
20th August 2009 - Learning Disability Coalition welcomes new Director
Anthea Cox became our new Director on August 10th 2009, replacing Heather Honour, who retired in July.
Anthea's experience includes working for the Methodist Church in Great Britain as director of social justice, as a senior councillor for Peterborough Council and as a non-executive director of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.
18th August 2009 - Fewer people with learning disabilities in employment than previously thought
Provisional figures from the NHS Information Centre show that only 7.5% of adults with learning disabilities known to social services are in paid employment.
Valuing Employment Now, the Government's learning disability employment strategy, which was published in June, estimated that 10% of people with learning disabilities known to social services were in paid employment.
31st July 2009 - Charities speak out against suggested scrapping of attendance allowance
Suggestions that attendance could be absorbed into social care, as detailed in the recent green paper on social care, could leave many people with learning disabilities struggling to cope, reports the Guardian. Many people who currently receive the attendance allowance could lose out entirely if the proposed changes take place, say charities such as RNIB.
Read the Guardian's article here
31st July 2009 - Campaigners keep fighting to save Cornwall day centre
Campaigners fighting to save the Morley Tamblyn Lodge in Liskeard have attended a crisis meeting to discuss the planned closure. Family, carers and councillors were angry that they had not been consulted about the closure.
28th July 2009 - Coalition warns that people with learning disabilities are being forgotten
The Guardian reports on our arguments that the Green Paper on the future of adult social care does not take account of the needs of people with learning disabilities.
14th July 2009 - Green Paper on Future of Adult Social Care Launched
The Government has launched its Green Paper on the future of social care. Unfortunately, the paper mainly focusses on Older People's issues at the expense of people with a learning disability.
Read our press release here24th June 2009 - Spend on care not prison, say Prison Reform Trust
29th June 2009 - Coalition quoted in Parliamentary debate
The Learning Disability Coalition's survey 'Tell it like it is' has been used as evidence in a debate in the House of Lords on the National Dementia Strategy.
Read a transcription of the debate
24th June 2009 - Spend on care not prison, say Prison Reform Trust
The Prison Reform Trust has called on the Government to stop building prisons and to invest in effective health and social care, as well as treatment for addicts. Up to 7% of the prison population may have learning disabilities.
24th June 2009 - Coalition welcomes Employment Strategy but warns on funding
Community Care magazine has covered our response to the Government's Employment Strategy - read the article here
24th June 2009 - Call for overhaul of care eligibility system
Ahead of the forthcoming Green Paper, the Local Government Association has called for an overhaul in the system of determining eligibility for care. The LGA has called for the fair access to care services guidance on eligibility to be replaced with a two-tier system, which would open up the public care system to more people. They also suggest that single, portable assessments are adopted.
5th June 2009 - Public anger at planned Cornwall day care centre closure.
Plans to close the valued Murdock and Trevithick day care centre in Redruth have sparked outrage among the local community. A public meeting has been called to fight the closure.
22nd May 2009 - Report from LSE puts cost of Autism services at £25bn
A report from the London School of Economics has revealed that care and support with adults with autism costs the country £25 billion per annum.
14th May 2009 - Coalition makes case in letter to the Times
Dame Jo Williams, the Co-Chair of the Coalition, has written to the Times pointing out the chronic under-funding of services for people with learning disabilities.
29th April 2009 - New figures show that now only 27% of councils offer support to people with moderate needs
A survey by the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has shown that fewer councils than last year - just 27% - now offer services to people whose needs are assessed as anything less than 'substantial'.
27th April 2009 - Green Paper due in June
The Government has announced in its Budget Paper that the Green Paper on the future funding of adult social care will be published in June.
2009 Budget Paper (see page 101)
24th April 2009 - Institute for Fiscal Studies warns of 'Deepest budget cuts since the 70s'
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that users of public services are likely to suffer as the Government cuts expenditure in light of the recession.
17th April 2009 - NHS Confederation warns Councils over forthcoming funding transfer
Yvonne Cox, of the NHS Confederation, has said that the NHS will be unable to transfer enough money to councils to fund the Government's Valuing People agenda, claiming that the NHS faces 'similar problems to councils' in funding learning disability services.
8th April 2009 - Nick Hornby hits out at postcode lottery
Author Nick Hornby, whose son has autism, has spoken out against the postcode lottery in services for people with learning disabilities, saying it is tantamount to a 'national scandal'.
6th April 2009 - Coalition calls for extra investment of £200m a year
The Learning Disability Coalition has submitted a document to the Treasury calling for funding for learning disability services to be increased by at least £200m a year.
02 April 2009 - Valuing People Now: Making it Happen
Community Care's conference Valuing People Now: Making it Happen will take place on Monday 18th May. Speakers include Anne Williams, the National Co-Director for Learning Disability, and Mark Goldring, Chief Executive of Mencap. Topics that will be discussed include Personalisation, the Valuing People Now funding transfer and Mencap's Death by Indifference campaign.
View a brochure for the conference
View an Easy Read version of the brochure
12 March 2009 - National Family Carer Network seeks Director
The National Family Carer Network is recruiting for a part-time Director.
12 March 2009 - Our Early Day Motion
An Early Day Motion (EDM) supporting the Coalition's work has attracted 164 signatures from MPs. The EDM calls on the Government to recognise the problems being cause for people with learning disabilities through the under-funding of social care and calls on them to address the issue in the forthcoming Green Paper on the future of social care.
Read Community Care's coverage
There is still time to call on your MP to sign, if you have not done so already! Click here to email your MP
12 March 2009 - New report makes link between premature births and learning disability
A new report has show that by the age of eleven, 13% of children who were born extremely prematurely will be attending special schools. The increased survival of extremely premature children is a key one in terms of the future demographics of people with learning disabilities.
Read the Indepedent's coverage
11 March 2009 - LGA calls for increased funding for social care
The Local Government Association has published an analysis of the funding problems in social care, calling on the Government to make more money available for service provision and to raise awareness of the importance of the social care system.
11 March 2009 - JRF lays out plans for future of social care
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a report detailing its ideas for the future of social care. However, its plans focus on provision for older people, rather than other groups that use the social care system such as people with learning disabilities.
9 March 2009 - MPs debate the human rights of people with learning disabilities
MPs have discussed the human rights of people with learning disabilities at a Westminster Hall debate. Stephen Ladyman MP, an advisor to the Coalition, called on the Government to commission research into the number of people with a learning disability.
Read a transciption of the debate
4 March 2009 - Coalition seeks Campaigns & Policy Intern
We are recruiting for an intern to help us to campaign for better funding for services for people with learning disabilities.
23 February 2009 - Majority favours increased investment in social care
According to a survey carried out by Leonard Cheshire, 86% of British adults would favour increased investment in social care if it meant that everybody who needs social care was able to receive it. Three quarters of people rated social care as being as important as the NHS.
19 February 2009 - Support the Stay Up Late Campaign
Many people with learning disabilities have to go home early from evening events simply because of their supporters are not employed to work late shifts. The Stay Up Late campaign, led by punk band Heavy Load and supported by Mencap, are calling on people to take action - and fight for the right to party!
04 February 2009 - Prison system failing people with learning disabilities
A report by the Prison Reform Trust has criticised the treatment of people with mental health problems and learning disabilities by the prison system.
04 February 2009 - Care reform 'too difficult' for Tories
David Brindle, the Guardian's Public Services Editor, discusses the Tories' plans to reform the social care system.
03 February 2009 - Underfunding of services examined by More 4 News
An investigation by More 4 News looks at the impact of lack of funding for Government plans to move people with learning disabilities into community care.
28 January 2009 - Vacancies at People First
People First, one of the Coalition's member organisations, is looking for a Support Worker for the Director and a Money Planning and Management Worker.
19 January 2009 - Government releases new strategy for people with a learning disability
The Government has published Valuing People Now, its strategy for people with learning disabilities.
14 January 2009 - Hammersmith and Fulham council cuts free home care
Despite opposition from local groups, the High Court has reached a decision to allow Hammersmith and Fulham council to charge for home care services. The council has announced that it will charge up to £10 per hour for previously free care.
12 January 2009 - Plea for just ruling on 'Death by Indifference'
Mencap is urging the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman to condemn the actions of the NHS which led to the preventable deaths of six people with a learning disability. The ruling is expected to be issued later this month.
8 January 2009 - Coalition seeks Campaigns & Policy Intern
We are seeking an intern to join our team to help us to campaign for better funding for social care for people with learning disabilities.
8 January 2009 - Sign up to Sense's new e-newsletter
Sense, one of the Coalition's members, are launching a new quarterly electronic newsletter about the issues affecting deafblind people.
5 January 2009 - Joint Committee on Human Rights criticises Government's lack of transparency
A new report by The Joint Committee on Human Rights has criticised the Government's lack of transparency and consultation over the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
5 January 2009 - Anger over Kent 'restructuring'
Kent Partnership Board has hit out at Kent County Council's proposed changes in service provision for people with learning disabilities.
2008
News archive: October 2008 - December 2008