Dylan Cummings

ALT I am writing this letter to thank you for the proposed award of Member of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year 2026 Honours List for services to disabled people and to let you know that regrettably, I must decline at this time as the situation for disabled people in the UK is simply intolerable. Despite being grateful that the life-changing work of my organisation, Glasgow Disability Alliance, has been acknowledged, I feel that I cannot accept a personal honour because disabled people are being so dishonoured at this time. In fact we are being demonised, dehumanised and scape-goated for political choices and policy failures by consecutive governments. Disabled people are becoming more unwell due to unfair, inadequate and inaccessible work, barriers to securing work, inadequate benefit levels and rising extra costs including backdoor taxation for social care support and rising costs like heating, clothing and vital independent living equipment." Full text on GDA Website

ALT Additional concerns include: • Reforms to PIP including increased face to face assessments will cause extreme concerns and stress as well as accessibility issues for disabled people. • The Health Elements of Universal Credit freezing will worsen financial security for those disabled people unable to work • Motability Scheme cuts will mean the end of tax exemptions and VAT relief as well as removal of options for bigger and more accessible cars, compromising choices and independent living for disabled people and increasing our costs. This situation has been described by disabled people as “devastating” and “punitive”, adding hundreds of pounds to upfront payments to lease cars. Disabled people are completely confounded by these measures which seem unfair and unjust and “threaten exclude disabled people from daily life, including working life” say GDA members. The budget includes no commitments for social care, accessible transport, adapted housing, education or national wheelchair servi