The government has now confirmed that it will set out its plans for SEND reform as part of a wider schools “White Paper” in the autumn.

The government has set aside funding from its “Transformation Fund” for two years from next April to fund reforms.

The government has said that a key part of its reforms will be to make mainstream provision more inclusive, and it has committed £740 million of capital funding for more specialist places in mainstream schools

The Disabled Children’s Partnership is pressing government to engage widely and meaningfully with families and young people – and experts in the sector – as it develops its plans to reform the SEND system. As members of the Partnership, SMA UK will continue to speak up with the DCP against suggestions that would remove or weaken rights and protections.

Children and young people with special educational needs want the same, ordinary things, that other children take for granted.

Action so far:

Children and young people with special educational needs want the same, ordinary things, that other children take for granted.

There are three big things happening on 15 September

• From 11.30am, a parent rally in Parliament Square
• At 3pm, a drop-in event in Parliament for MPs to hear more about the campaign
• And at 4.30pm, a debate in Parliament on the e-petition to retain the right to an assessment and plan.

We have an e-action live for supporters to invite their MPs to attend the drop-in.

Last updated: 20th August 2025

The Electoral Commission is seeking views on the support available for disabled people at polling stations.

Ahead of elections in May 2026, it has reviewed and updated its current guidance for electoral administrators, and is now seeking feedback on these changes through a consultation.

Better support for independence and secrecy since 2022

Changes were introduced in 2022 to improve flexibility and choice in how disabled people are supported to vote at polling stations. The changes mean councils are now required to provide equipment in polling stations to help people vote independently and in secret, and to allow anyone who is over the age of 18 to act as a companion to assist a disabled voter.

The Commission’s role is to provide guidance for electoral administrators on how to provide this support at polling stations. The Commission has looked at how the changes have worked to date and engaged with a range of organisations representing disabled people. Ahead of elections in May 2026, it has reviewed and updated its guidance, and is now seeking feedback on these changes through a consultation, which is open until 26 October 2025.

How to respond?

You can fill in the Electoral Commission’s online form >

or email your views to:

AccessibilityConsultation@electoralcommission.org.uk

or post your contribution to:

Legislation, Strategy and Coordination team
The Electoral Commission
3 Bunhill Row
London EC1Y 8YZ

If you have any questions or require any help to be able to respond, you can phone them on 0333 103 1928.

Access to Work is going nowhere

The Access to Work > scheme was set up to fund support for disabled individuals in the workplace, enabling them to find and maintain employment

A reported 62,000 Access to Work applications are waiting to be processed and 33,000 people are stuck with unpaid claims as of February 2025.

Access to Work Collective

This grass roots group of 3000 disabled people and allies has launched a campaign, Access to Nowhere. They are highlighting the serious problems with the scheme, and asking for it to be overhauled.

For many employed and self-employed people, their ability to work is dependent on receiving the necessary support. If it is delayed or taken away altogether, they risk losing their jobs or businesses.

Joined-up thinking is needed

There has been a big government push towards getting more disabled people into work. ‘Pathways to Work’ includes proposals intended to reduce barriers to employment. But the one scheme that provides tangible support to make employment and self-employment possible is being left to slide into crisis.

Scope estimates that there are one million disabled people currently not employed who would like to have a job. Access to Work could and should connect those candidates with the job market. It should address employers’ concerns about incurring additional costs.

Support the Access to Nowhere campaign

The Access to Work Collective is calling for people to support the campaign.

You can:

Sign the open letter >

Write to your MP >

Share on social media:

#AccessToNowhere

#AccessToWorkCollective

#AccessToWork

Read More > 

Last checked: April 2025

The UK Government had written a new plan called "Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working". Published on March 18, 2025, it talked about big changes to benefits for disabled people and people with long-term health problems. With your input we had just responded to this consultation  – raising many concerns about the proposals:

Read SMA UK’s response to the Consultation > 

Sir Stephen Timms, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, announced that they will remove a controversial clause. This clause would have tightened eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).   

The government says these adjustments show they are listening. But patient and disability groups aren’t convinced. They argue the changes just delay or change how cuts are made. They worry this strategy will push many vulnerable people into deeper poverty.  

Sir Stephen Timms’s Announcement (July 1st): 

• Removal of Controversial PIP Clause: The most impactful part of his announcement was the decision to remove Clause 5 from the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. This clause contained the highly contentious proposal to require new PIP claimants to score a minimum of 4 points in at least one daily living activity. This was in addition to the overall 8 points, to qualify for the daily living component. 

• Delay of PIP Eligibility Changes: Timms stated that any future changes to PIP eligibility, activities, and descriptors would only occur after the conclusion of his wider review of the PIP assessment process. He emphasised that this “Timms Review” would be “co-produced” with disabled people and their organisations. He said it is not intended to save money, but rather to ensure the assessment is “fit for the future.” 

• Protection for Existing Claimants: He reiterated that existing PIP claimants will largely remain on the current system.  New eligibility rules would only applying to new claims from November 2026. This date is now effectively superseded by the review. 

• Universal Credit Adjustments: Timms also confirmed adjustments to Universal Credit rates. He stated that the health element for existing claimants would mean that their income would be protected in real terms. This would be the same for some new claimants with severe conditions. He also said that the standard allowance of UC would rise above inflation for the next four years. 

• “Right to Try”: The government is also pushing forward with a “Right to Try” guarantee. This will aim to give legal protection for disabled people to try work without fear of reassessment.

Remaining concerns: 

• Creation of a “Two-Tier System”: Advocacy groups continue to highlight that the reforms, even with the adjustments, will create a “two-tier” or even “three-tier” benefit system. Future disabled people will likely face significantly reduced support compared to current claimants. This will lead to “new and cruel inequality” and a future of poverty and hardship. 

• Impact on Universal Credit: The freezing and future reduction of the Universal Credit health element for many new claimants is a major point of contention. SMA UK and our partner disability-focused organisations argue that this fails to recognise the genuine extra costs associated with disability. It will push more disabled people into poverty. This will be especially those who rely on this support to live independently or even work. 

• Lack of Genuine Consultation: There is a lack of genuine co-production and consultation with disabled people and their organisations. Reforms have been driven by cost-cutting rather than by a desire to build a supportive and enabling welfare system. 

 We will endeavour to keep you updated…..

Last checked: August 2025

Contact is acting on the proposal to stop health payments (currently the LCWRA element) to young adults on Universal Credit until they turn 22.

This proposal means a huge drop in income of almost £100 per week for almost 110,000 young disabled adults, once they claim Universal Credit in their own right and stop being treated as a dependent child for benefit purposes. If this proposal goes ahead, it would push young disabled adults further away from employment and further into poverty.

Support their campaign and email your local MP > 

Last checked: August 2025

The charity Contact has been working on this campaign since 2024. Now, thanks to funding from the Motability Foundation, they are campaigning to improve transport to school or college. They are:

• Reviewing local transport policies and see how they comply with the law.
• Conducting research on the issues faced by families, disabled children and young people.
• Together with families, identifying what can be done to influence change for the better.

As part of this, on  2nd June  a group of parent carers launched a ‘Close the Loophole’ campaign calling for a fairer transport system for disabled students aged 16 – 18.

They have written a letter to the School Ministers and are asking you to join them by adding your name to the letter.

Sign the letter >

Find our more about Contact’s School Transport Campaign >

Last updated: April 2025

In collaboration with Pro Bono Economics, the Children’s Charities Coalition has launched a new report on children’s services spending.

The analysis has revealed that, despite a small rise in the last three years, local authority spending on early intervention services in England has fallen by more than £2 billion since 2010/11.

This constitutes an overall drop of 42%, with spending per child having fallen by more than half. At the same time, local authority spending on residential care placements has continued to balloon.

Worryingly, this has disproportionately impacted the most deprived parts of the country, where spending per child has fallen by more than 50%, whilst the least deprived areas saw a drop of less than 30%.

The Children’s Charities Coalition is therefore urging the Chancellor to use the upcoming Spending Review to make serious long-term investment in children’s social care.

Doing so will allow local authorities to rebuild early intervention services and prevent more children and families from reaching crisis point.

Read the report: A long road to recovery >

October 2023: SMA UK’s Community Response to the Disability Action Plan 2023-4 Consultation  >