“Without doubt, the pandemic’s impact on the disabled has been absolutely catastrophic. During the lockdown period, almost seven out of 10 people with learning difficulties had their care packages reduced or cut completely, which the Disability Law Service says is illegal.”

Daisy Cooper MP has called on the Government to include more help for disabled people and their families in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The MP for St Albans was speaking during a debate in Parliament to highlight the need for greater support for the UK’s 14 million disabled people – the country’s largest minority.

“Without doubt, the pandemic’s impact on the disabled has been absolutely catastrophic,” Daisy told MPs. “During the lockdown period, almost seven out of 10 people with learning difficulties had their care packages reduced or cut completely, which the Disability Law Service says is illegal.”

Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been “spectacularly disadvantaged by the pandemic” and the effect on home schooling for them and their families was huge, she said.

With reports that up to one in five SEND children are still absent from schools due to infection control, timetables and transport, Daisy called on the Government to produce a dedicated plan to deliver the education resources “they deserve and to which they are entitled”.

She said: “Parents and families are still telling me that they’re struggling to get the laptops and specialist equipment they need. When will the Government get that much-needed kit to every single child, so they have a fighting chance to learn during Covid?”

Daisy also called on the Government to pass a law empowering all employers to look at retaining those workers with disabilities who are threatened by redundancy during the looming economic downturn.

“As we head into a recession with the prospect of job losses it’s vital that those disabled people who are in jobs can be kept in them, because it’s so much harder for disabled people and all those with protected characteristics to get into the workplace in the first instance.”

And she warned that those employed in the UK’s “world-leading disability creative arts sector” are in particular danger of “disappearing from public view.

“Many of its members fall into a similar category to ExcludedUK, with freelancers having received absolutely no Government support at all,” she said. “Without help, these disabled creatives could completely disappear from our screens, theatres and comedy circuits. They could become invisible in our public realm and debate.”

Daisy urged fellow MPs to “lead by example” and to press the Government to re-establish the access to elected office fund for disabled people.

“There is a shocking lack of disabled voices in the House of Commons, and I say that as an MP with a hidden disability.

“The entry cost for many disabled MPs is far too high and we need a proper fund to be established so that disabled candidates of all political persuasions have the opportunity to stand for election and to represent their communities.”

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“The First Safety Bill should empower the fire and rescue services to take enforcement action and hold building owners to account. I am pleased that by speaking up for leaseholders on the committee, I have secured commitments from the Government to introduce important fire safety registers”

Daisy Cooper MP joined the Fire Safety Bill Committee in the House of Commons in a bid to shape the law governing multi-occupied residential buildings in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.

The Fire Safety Bill proposes changes to the Fire Safety Order 2005 to clarify who is responsible for managing and reducing the risk of fire for the structure and external walls of flats and similar buildings, including cladding, balconies and windows, entrance doors and fire doors.

Daisy tabled amendments to the bill, which was reviewed line by line by the Fire Safety Bill Committee before returning to the full House of Commons to be voted into law.

Her proposed amendments sought to:

• Encourage the government to set out who should take financial responsibility for remediation costs for essential fire safety work
• Set up a public register of fire risk assessments so would-be renters and owners can check the fire safety status of their potential new home, such as the one used to register domestic Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
• Establish a public register of fire risk assessors so home owners can verify that fire assessors are qualified to conduct compulsory checks, and enable government and industry to assess the numbers required to be trained.

The issue of flammable cladding similar to that used on Grenfell Tower has also been raised by apartment block residents in St Albans. One couple were so worried about delays in surveying the materials on their property that they contacted Daisy through their residents’ association.

Daisy said: “Thousands of leaseholders and tenants up and down the country are being kept in a permanent state of anxiety while waiting to hear whether their property is safe. On top of that individual leaseholders are facing bills of up to £20,000 per flat for remedial work and hikes in their service charges. Many are unable to sell while the uncertainty persists.

“The First Safety Bill should empower the fire and rescue services to take enforcement action and hold building owners to account. I am pleased that by speaking up for leaseholders on the committee, I have secured commitments from the Government to introduce important fire safety registers, albeit at a later stage, and to provide ministerial-level clarity that big housing owners should not shirk their responsibility and pass the financial buck to leaseholders.”

The Fire Safety Bill: https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2019-21/firesafety.html

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“The coronavirus crisis is leaving thousands of families facing financial uncertainty. Further financial support must be agreed to ensure no one is left behind.”

Daisy Cooper MP is urging the Government to bring forward bespoke packages of support for key sectors, such as hospitality, or face a surge in job losses in St Albans.

The Liberal Democrat MP for St Albans warns that thousands of families face “financial uncertainty” and is calling for the Government to do more.

According to government statistics for May, the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in St Albans has more than doubled since lockdown began in March, with 3,005 actual claimants, an increase of 1,815 on March and 1,045 since April. Of those, there were 455 aged 18 to 24, equivalent to 15% of the total.

Other data showed that 10,600 people in St Albans have benefited from the job retention scheme to the end of May, out of a working-age population of 61,814. They also show a further 3,700 are receiving financial support through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, following a successful campaign by the Liberal Democrats to extend the original scheme by a further three months.

That means that more than one in four St Albans residents are currently using the furlough scheme, the self-employed scheme or receiving unemployment benefit.

Daisy points out that many self-employed people are still excluded from this support, including those who became self-employed since April 2019, and is calling on the Government to expand the scheme to cover them too.

Daisy said: “The coronavirus crisis is leaving thousands of families facing financial uncertainty. Further financial support must be agreed to ensure no one is left behind.

“There must be an increase in statutory sick pay to £220 a week to ensure everyone who needs to self-isolate can, knowing that they don’t have to choose between their health and their income.

“Also, the furlough scheme continues to be a lifeline for many, but I worry what will happen to people here in St Albans who rely on furlough support if it ends before it’s safe to go back to work, or when businesses need to re-open below capacity or in a phased way.

“And Ministers must extend support to the millions of people who are still excluded from the existing schemes, such as ’no rights employees’ – freelances who are taxed at source like an employee but who currently receive no financial support at all, and those who recently became self-employed, and those between jobs and more.

“The big danger is that many parts of our economy will simply not be back up to speed by October. The Government must bring forward bespoke packages of support for the industries most affected, to save jobs and prevent mass unemployment.”

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“In mid-March, the Chancellor said that no one would be left behind, but almost two months have passed and these workers have been offered no help. I’m calling on him to come up with an urgent solution to relieve the hardship they’re experiencing, as he’s been able to do for so many others.”

Daisy Cooper MP is demanding financial support for a group of #ForgottenFreelances who have fallen through the cracks of the Chancellor’s Covid-19 aid packages – particularly those who have a combination of PAYE and other income.

The key group of freelances and self-employed, also known as “zero-rights employees”, typically work shifts for newspapers, broadcasters, magazines and publishers.

Daisy has now joined forces with a cross-party group of MPs and the National Union of Journalists to call for urgent action to end the anomaly that is leaving so-called “casual” workers in the creative industries in dire financial straits.

In a letter to the Chancellor, they point out the anomaly whereby freelances remain self-employed for the purposes of employment law, with no protection of employment rights such as sick pay or maternity leave, yet are forced to pay tax and national insurance like an employee.

Fight for financial support

As a result, they are neither being furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) nor eligible for the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

Daisy’s fight for financial support during the Covid-19 crisis for freelances, agency workers and small businesses in Britain’s creative industries kicked off in April when she led a cross-party group of 130 parliamentarians to lobby the chancellor.

And in May, she and her Liberal Democrat colleagues called on the Government to extend income support payments to the self-employed, a move that culminated in an extension of the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) for a further three months.

Daisy, who is the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), said: “These workers are facing financial ruin. Many have been working shifts for one or more companies to establish their career. Parents, either with young families or with older children, often particularly need the flexibility this kind of work offers.

“It’s not fair or right that they are being excluded from the financial support being made available to everyone else.

“In mid-March, the Chancellor said that no one would be left behind, but almost two months have passed and these workers have been offered no help. I’m calling on him to come up with an urgent solution to relieve the hardship they’re experiencing, as he’s been able to do for so many others.”

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“Ministers must act urgently to support UK pubs through the Covid-19 crisis, or risk leaving a gaping hole in communities across the UK and the loss of a wonderful part of our heritage.”

Daisy Cooper MP is leading a cross-party call to protect pubs in the face of the “unique combination of challenges” created by the Covid-19 crisis.

Daisy has rallied MPs from the Tory, Labour, SNP, Plaid Cymru and Green parties to call on government ministers to ensure pubs – a “cornerstone of British culture” – are in a position to re-open once social distancing measures are eased. 

The group have written to the chancellor of the exchequer to demand bespoke support for the industry, including calls to: 

• Scrap the £51,000 Rateable Value cap for pubs, allowing pubs to access the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund.
• Stop pubco landlords from charging rent from their tenants through the crisis.
• Extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for the hospitality sector for the duration of social distancing measures and adopt a tailored approach to taper down the scheme in line with the ability of pubs to re-open on a viable basis.

Daisy said: “Pubs are an iconic part of our social and economic fabric, and this is especially true here in St Albans. They are the hub of many communities and play a key role in the wider economy, employing nearly half a million people directly and supporting so many other jobs – not least in brewing and entertainment. 

“Right now, many pubs in St Albans and around the country are saddled with enormous rents, payable despite the fact that their doors are closed. On top of this, many are unable to access government grants because they’re based on the broken business rates system. They are on a financial precipice. 

“The Chancellor must take radical action to prevent our beloved pubs from permanently closing their doors. He must scrap the unfair rates cap that prevents so many pubs from accessing vital funds, and prevent pubco landlords from charging exorbitant rates to their tenants whilst they are unable to open their premises. 

“Longer term, we are calling for wholesale reform of the broken business rates system, which has been exposed as completely unfit for purpose.  

“Ministers must act urgently to support UK pubs through the Covid-19 crisis, or risk leaving a gaping hole in communities across the UK and the loss of a wonderful part of our heritage.”

Tom Stainer, chief executive at Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale, said: 
“We welcome this letter, which highlights vital issues facing pubs during the Covid-19 lockdown. It has been estimated that up 19,000 pubs are now at risk of permanent closure as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, which also means that jobs are on the line, and consumers stand to lose out on the social and wellbeing benefits of pub going.

“Up to 20% of pubs may not be eligible for grant support due to their high rateable value – but that doesn’t mean they are better able than smaller pubs to weather this storm, so it’s imperative that the grant scheme is extended to offer them support.

“Camra has also called for pub companies to cancel rent for tenants and is seeking assurances that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be available to pubs and brewers until the end of social distancing measures. We’re delighted to see MPs doing the same and applaud their efforts – hopefully, the Government will listen.”   

The full text of the letter to the Chancellor follows:

Dear Chancellor,

We are writing to you to highlight the plight of the UK pub industry, which has been particularly hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Pubs directly employ 457,000 people across the country, in addition to supporting the jobs and income of their many suppliers, brewers and entertainers.

Pubs face a unique combination of challenges: they are the least likely to be able to offer their products for delivery or online, they are highly dependent on property, and any continuation of social distancing measures are likely to make it difficult or impossible in many cases to re-open or operate on a scale that breaks even. Pubs have also been identified by the government as being amongst the last businesses that will be allowed to re-open.

Five of the six biggest pubco landlords are still charging commercial rent to their tenant publicans: Star Pubs and Bars (Heineken), Punch Taverns, Greene King, Marston’s, EI Group (Stonegate Pubs), even though they cannot trade.  Unlike in a normal commercial lease, these tenants must often operate their businesses in the style dictated by their landlord. We fully support the #NoPubNoRent campaign endorsed by CAMRA and the British Pub Confederation.

Additionally, many pubs have a rateable value greater than the £51,000 cap applied to the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund eligibility; despite being small businesses they are ineligible for support. The broken business rates system and flawed valuations, that have penalised pubs for years, are now preventing them from accessing help when they need it most.

With pubs to be among the last businesses to open, and furthermore amongst the hardest hit by any social distancing measures, we are calling on you to take the following urgent action to protect British pubs and jobs:

• Scrap the arbitrary £51,000 Rateable Value cap for pubs so that they can access the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund 
• Extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for the hospitality sector for the duration of social distancing measures and adopt a tailored approach for pubs so that the scheme can be tapered down in line with the ability of groups or types of pubs to re-open on a viable basis 
• Stop the pubco landlords from charging rent to their tenants – if pubs are not allowed to operate, they should not have to pay rent.

Not only major employers, pubs are a cornerstone of British life and culture, and need urgent tailored support to survive this crisis.

Yours sincerely

Daisy Cooper MP

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“Investing in this vital link will help local residents travel for work and pleasure and, crucially, it will help us tackle the climate crisis by getting cars off the road.”

Daisy Cooper MP welcomes government funding to develop plans for Abbey Line passing loop.

A proposal to the Department for Transport to secure investment in the Abbey Line has progressed to the next stage with funding awarded to develop a business case.

Earlier this year the Members of Parliament for St Albans and Watford, Daisy Cooper and Dean Russell, collaborated to submit a proposal to the Department for Transport to secure investment in the Abbey Line.

Working with Abbey Flyer Users’ Group to develop the initial bid, the MPs made the case to ministers and officials in Whitehall that the project should progress to the next phase and receive financial support.

The Abbey Line is an important railway link running 6.5 miles between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey station. As it only currently runs every 45 minutes, many continue to travel that route in their car, but anyone who drives that route will know how congested it can be during peak times. The train is a much quicker service but due to the infrequency it is not convenient.

The Abbey Line passing loop has been described by Hertfordshire County Council as amongst its most important transport needs.

Daisy said: “Creating a passing loop on the Abbey Line is an absolute no-brainer so it’s really encouraging news that the funding application to government that would deliver this has moved to the next stage. It’s a huge testament to the Abbey Flyer Users’ Group, the numerous residents’ associations along the line and politicians of all parties who have kept banging the drum for this much overdue investment.

“Investing in this vital link will help local residents travel for work and pleasure and, crucially, it will help us tackle the climate crisis by getting cars off the road. As the MP for St Albans I was delighted to back this application alongside the MP for Watford, and I urge the Government to give the passing loop the green light in the final round.”

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