Four election candidates faced questions from people with learning disabilities who raised issues including employment, care contributions and access to public toilets.
The candidates were Sarah Webster, Conservative, and Siân Berry, Green, who are standing in Brighton Pavilion, and Michael Wang, Liberal Democrat, and Tanushka Marah, Independent, who are standing in Hove and Portslade.
They listened to various concerns over two hours at the hustings, held at the Brighthelm Centre.
The independent advocacy charity Speak Out organised the event in conjunction with the Grace Eyre Foundation. To view live posts from the event on X, formerly Twitter, click here.
One questioner asked about mental health and how people with learning disabilities and autism and who were in receipt of benefits could access counselling services.
Conservative candidate Sarah Webster listed a wide range of support available for autistic people. She said: “There are a lot of programmes out there and people are not getting access to the information.
“Citizens Advice is a government-backed service so any benefits you want to know about you can find out from them – and .gov websites will give details of what benefits you can get as well.”
Independent candidate Tanushka Marah said that she worked with young people and often had a counsellor in the room to support them in a “brutal world”.
She said: “We need to live in a world where people with different disabilities and needs are not ‘othered’, where they are part of the workforce, they are part of our communities, where we do not have an ‘us and them’ environment.
“As a woman of colour, I can understand how easily this happens. We need to understand that the mental health epidemic that is happening is due to the systems we have created that have othered and separated people.”
Lib Dem candidate Michael Wang said that people with learning disabilities and autism were more likely to experience mental health issues and his party would fund improved services with a tax on digital media companies such as Facebook.
He said: “We think the system does need to be changed because too often mental health is seen as an afterthought after physical health. That’s fundamentally wrong.
“We will put mental health on the same footing as physical health, by creating mental health hubs that accept walk ins and offering regular mental health check ups. Qualified counsellors will be put into every school.”
Green candidate Siân Berry said that politicians paid lip service to the need to treat mental health with the same level of urgency and seriousness as physical health.
She said: “We’ve still got far too many people waiting for months, if not years, to get counselling, to get therapy.
“There’s harm done every time we delay treatment for people. We are committed to funding new mental health services so everyone has access to therapy within 28 days.”
Polling stations are due to open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday (4 July). Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
Where’s Tom Gray – Labour? Once again can’t be bothered to attend to a husting. Clearly given up …
No show Labour. If they’re not listening before you vote do you think they’ll listen after?
Far less payments under Labour and the Greens as they are in favour of unlimited immigration which means GDP per capita will fall.
If Tom Gray can’t be bothered to go to local hustings, he doesn’t deserve a vote. Doesn’t say much for how much of a hands on MP he would be for the constituency. He’s got to present more than being photographed and endorsed by his mate Feargal Sharkey.
If Tom Gray can’t be bothered to go to local hustings, he doesn’t deserve a vote. Doesn’t say much for how much of a hands on MP he would be for the constituency. He’s got to present more than being photographed and endorsed by his mate Feargal Sharkey.
Wow – no Labour candidate at an accessibility hustings for the disabled community in Brighton and Hove. That shows where their priorities are.
Actually properly shocked.
It says four election candidates. So who is the bearded guy on the left of the picture?
Not Tom Gray!
That is Ben, the emcee. He is one of the organisers.
As a woman of colour. Isn’t everyone a colour?