Disabled people take on the cost of living crisis – which is costing them more

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Disabled people say the cost of living crisis is costing them more than most. Higher heating requirements, specific food needs and powered wheelchairs contribute to bigger bills for disabled people as inflation reaches record highs.

It comes after austerity and the pandemic each left many disabled people worse off with benefits cut and Covid leaving some lacking vital services. Members of the Greater Manchester Disabled People's Panel, which is made up of 15 organisations, are now collecting more data to 'create real change'.

The 'pioneering' group, which is also helping to design more accessible buses in Greater Manchester, was set up to help influence policy in the city-region. Building on work during the pandemic which saw nearly 1,000 responses from disabled people in Greater Manchester help tackle digital exclusion, a new survey has been launched to identify issues caused by the cost of living crisis.

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Panel co-chair Michele Scattergood said the survey is 'lifting the lid' on the impact the cost of living is having on disabled people to 'make things better'. Rick Burgess, from the Greater Manchester Coalition for Disabled People, who is also a member of the panel, said the survey will help drive the group's work.

He said: "This is putting fuel in our vehicle which delivers that change. "We find out what the problems are, where they are and then we go and solve them."

The new survey, which was launched on June 28, is targeted at any disabled people who live or work across Greater Manchester and specifically aims to find out their attitudes and feelings towards the current cost of living crisis. It builds on the 2020