‘The dying of the light’: the impact of the spending cuts, and cuts to employment law protections, on disability adjustments in British local authorities

Abstract

Adjustments to working arrangements and the working environment have enabled organisations to recruit and retain valuable staff and helped disabled individuals to work and progress in their careers. The qualitative study reported in this paper indicates that generally good adjustments-related practice across 33 British local authorities was beginning to deteriorate under the impact of government spending cuts; and was at further risk from the dismantling of legal protections. The findings have implications for local authorities, but also for national policy-makers and those wishing to influence them.

Keywords:

• disability
• employment
• work
• adjustments
• cuts
• law
• Coalition government
• councils
• local authorities

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the interviewees and interviewee organisations; the anonymous referees and the journal staff; Professor Susan Corby; Dr Michael Dawson; Jenny Dimond; Titilayo Oshodi Harwood; Dr Celia Stanworth; Carole Stuart-McIvor; and Roger Wornham.

Notes

1. See http:www.libdems.org.uk/jobsgrowth.aspx

2. To protect anonymity, the names of interviewees have been changed and the names of organisations have not been included.