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Half of people
with disabilities say they need more support to live independent
lives
A new survey, released by
local disability charity Vitalise that runs the Sandpipers respite
centre in Southport, has found broad agreement between disabled and
non-disabled people on a range of different topics; with one
glaring exception.
The survey, conducted to mark the charity's 50th anniversary, found
that 44% of people with disabilities called for more statutory
provision from the government, in the form of welfare, benefits and
other kinds of support, in order to lead independent lives in the
years to come.
However, in stark contrast, they received
little support for this from non-disabled people, with only 24%
agreeing.
Vitalise is suggesting that this disparity demonstrates a clear lack
of understanding on the part of the non-disabled community about the
many challenges facing people with disabilities in their everyday
lives and their need for increased support in order to make a more
significant contribution to society.
Adding weight to Vitalise's claim, the study found that 52% of the
respondents with disabilities believed that negative attitudes
towards them was the single biggest issue they faced today, with 16%
saying they didn't believe they were being treated any better by
society than they were 50 years ago.
A lack of independence emerged as the second biggest issue facing
people with disabilities today, highlighted by 41% of the disabled
respondents.
The survey questioned equal groups of disabled and non-disabled
people about the changes over the last 50 years and the challenges
of the 50 years to come. It has been released today to mark
Vitalise's 50th anniversary and the start of Disability History
Month that runs until 22 December 2013.
For the 1 in 5 people living with disabilities across the North
West, the findings of the study suggest that without increased
support in all its forms, their struggle to lead productive,
dignified and independent lives could continue for years to come.
The survey also found that, despite the positive impact of the 2012
London Paralympics, only 3 out of 10 people with disabilities
thought that the public's attitude towards them had improved.
In other findings, the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 emerged
as the single most significant improvement in society for people
with disabilities, with over a third of disabled and non-disabled
people in agreement.
When asked what needs to change to improve the lives of people with
disabilities in the 50 years to come, the most votes went to
increased work opportunities for people with disabilities, with 55%
of all those surveyed in agreement, followed closely by better
attitudes from the public, with 49%.
20% of both groups surveyed wanted better and more accessible
holiday opportunities for people with disabilities in the next 50
years.
In the light of the study's findings, Vitalise is calling for a
greater effort on the part of wider society to understand the
challenges confronting people with disabilities in their daily lives
and their need for increased statutory support in order to lead
independent lives and play a more significant role in society.
Vitalise Chief Executive Chris Simmonds said:- "What this
survey shows is that non-disabled people have underestimated just
how many barriers people with disabilities have to overcome in their
daily lives; and the amount of support they need as a result.
Only the other week we saw press reports that David Weir, one of our
greatest ever Paralympians, had been refused a home with a
downstairs toilet and was forced to drag himself up the stairs
whenever he needed the loo. What does this say about our
understanding of the everyday needs of people with disabilities?
Vitalise is 50 years old this year. We have spent the past 5
decades supporting people with disabilities, so we know that they
want to lead more fulfilling lives and make a more meaningful
contribution to society. But our worry is that this lack of
understanding may lead to suspicion or even resentment towards
people with disabilities and hold them back from leading dignified,
independent lives. We must all work together to make sure people
with disabilities are not held back from achieving their goals."
In the run-up to the Festive Season, Vitalise has just launched a
national fundraising appeal, fronted by Vice President Dame Judi
Dench, in order to provide support over the Christmas period for
people with disabilities and their carers in the form of subsidised
respite breaks at the charity's 3 centres.
In her appeal Dame Judi Dench commented:- "There are millions
of people in the UK struggling to cope with disability. They might
be disabled themselves or caring for a loved one with a disability.
Whatever their situation, it's more than likely that their daily
existence is a hard, unrelenting struggle against poverty, isolation
and loneliness. For them, Christmas is no different to any other
time of year."
Vitalise is a national charity providing essential breaks for people
with disabilities and carers.
Vitalise provides essential short
breaks in a holiday environment for people with disabilities;
including Alzheimer's and dementia; and carers at 3 accessible
UK Centres, with 24 hour nursing care on call, personal support and
a range of accessible excursions, activities and entertainment.
Vitalise was founded in 1963 as the Winged Fellowship Trust by the
late Joan Brander MBE.
The charity created the blueprint for the
modern concept of respite care in a holiday environment.
Vitalise
also runs one of the largest volunteering programmes of any UK
charity, offering thousands of individuals each year the opportunity
to support and socialise with the people with disabilities taking
respite breaks at Vitalise's centres.
People with
disabilities and carers wanting more advice and information about
Vitalise breaks are requested to call:- 0303 303 0145,
email or
visit:-
vitalise.org.uk.
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OVO
ENERGY THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET TO THE BIG 6 BY REDUCING BILLS FOR
CUSTOMERS
OVO Energy, a leading
independent energy provider and challenger to the Big 6, has
announced that it will help reduce energy costs this winter with the
launch of Flexible Direct Debit; a new way for all Ovo Energy
customers to pay and reduce their monthly bill by 5%.
This means that new customers will save around £176* per year by
switching to Ovo Energy when compared to the average Big 6
standard tariff.
The new technology that enables customers to set their own monthly
payments online will cut Ovo's business costs by about half. The
money that Ovo saves by being more efficient is passed straight back
to customers through a 5% discount called Ovo Just Reward. The
average Ovo customer will receive around £60** off their bill.
Bad debts, customer service calls, processing refunds and collecting
negatives balances all make up a big part of the costs of supplying
energy. Flexible Direct Debit not only puts the customer in control
but also helps Ovo rapidly reduce many of these costs.
The new software that enables Flexible Direct Debit, performs
hundreds of complex calculations in a matter of seconds to more
accurately predict what each customer's monthly bills will be up to
one year in advance, and allows the customer to set their payments
accordingly.
Customers will now have the freedom to set their direct debit
meaning they can avoid building up large credit balances over the
summer, and make sure they don't get into debt, 2 of the biggest
causes of customer dissatisfaction in the industry.
As always, customers' will automatically earn 3% interest on credit
balances they hold with Ovo Energy.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Founder and Managing Director, Ovo Energy
said:- "At Ovo Energy, we try to innovate and we make things
simple for customers. Ovo Just Reward gives our customers more
control and smaller bills as well as simplifying our whole business.
Instead of just blaming rising costs and passing on price rises, we
have been focused on doing what we can to help customers. Buying
energy at the best price possible, keeping our costs down and making
energy simple. A more efficiently run business is good news for
everyone and by passing the savings on to our customers we are doing
our bit to help keep bills down. We've listened to what people are saying; price
rises are the number one concern and energy companies holding on to
their money unnecessarily is number two. With Ovo Just Reward we're
not just offering customers great savings, but also more flexibility
and control over their energy bill."
Mrs. Stevenson, an Ovo Energy customer commented;- "I find it
really easy to navigate [My Ovo] and one of the best things about it
is being able to keep on top of the direct debits and make them how
I want them each month. It's really helpful.
In the past I haven't been in control, the supplier has, and
actually they've done it badly. Sometimes it's been too high and
they've had my money for too long and other times it's been too low
and we've ended up owing hundreds of pounds that we shouldn't have
done. So keeping it under my control month by month, or even more
frequently like that, has made a real difference."
Stephen Fitzpatrick continued:- "We believe these new
improvements will make us the most efficient energy supplier in the
UK. We have spent a long time building better infrastructure,
technology and service capability and it will result in happier
customers paying less for their energy. This is how a competitive
market is supposed to work."
This announcement comes the day before British Gas' price hikes come
into play. From 23 November 2013, British Gas customers will see prices
rises of 8.4% for Gas and 10.4% for ElectriCity. Customers are
encouraged to make the switch at:-
ovoenergy.com.
£18m for busy
roads in Merseyside
CONGESTION on some of
Sefton’s busiest roads is set to be eased, thanks to £18 million
improvement works. Transport Minister Baroness Kramer has given
approval for work on the A5758 Broom’s Cross Road (Thornton to
Switch Island Link) scheme to start. Baroness Kramer said:-
"This scheme will ease congestion and cut pollution on some of
Sefton’s busiest roads. The £14.5m we are putting into this
project shows that the coalition government is serious about
investing in the infrastructure the country needs to drive economic
growth both locally and nationally." The scheme
consists of a new 2.6 mile single carriageway road between the A565
Southport Road, Thornton and the M57/M58 Switch Island Junction,
bypassing the local communities of Netherton and Thornton north of
Liverpool. It will improve access between the north-west motorway
system and Southport, as well as to the Port of Liverpool and
development sites in the area. The A5758 Broom’s Cross Road
(Thornton to Switch Island Link) scheme was one of the schemes given
funding approval in 2011 as part of the Spending Review process.
Work can now start on the initial elements of the scheme. This
announcement grants Full (final) Approval to the A5758 Broom’s Cross
Road (Thornton to Switch Island Link), promoted by Sefton MBC,
enabling work to begin. Works will start in November and be complete
by October 2014. The Department will provide a maximum of £14.5m
towards the full scheme cost of £18.325m.
CONSUMERS WILL
BE "FLABBERGASTED" AT PROFITS LEVELS AT NATIONAL GRID
SOURCING COMPONENTS OVERSEAS
NATIONAL Grid workers have
seen their incomes cut and they are facing cuts to pension provision
too, whilst the company is posting these massive returns says GMB
GMB, the union for energy workers, commented on the half year
results for National Grid published on 21 November 2013. See notes
to editors for main headlines from company website.
Gary Smith, GMB National Secretary for Energy, said:- "Energy
consumers are going to be flabbergasted by these results from
National Grid at a time when people are quite literally freezing to
death.
Nobody should be any under illusions that ordinary workers are
benefiting either. Many National Grid workers have seen their
incomes cut and they are facing cuts to pension provision too,
whilst the company is posting these massive returns.
On top of this National Grid is also sourcing most of the components
and cables they are using from countries like China. National Grid
is a monopoly with an 8 year order book of work under their funding
formula from OFGEM. It is disgraceful that a hugely profitable UK
monopoly is looking to source components from abroad rather than
support the UK manufacturing supply chain. The government has
given us a load of rhetoric about jobs from the Energy Bill and the
investment in energy creating jobs in the UK. People in the UK would
expect companies like National Grid to be supporting jobs in the UK
and it isn't happening." |
