Critics say mayor's disability plan 'lacks ambition'

The mayor of London's first strategy for deaf and disabled Londoners has been criticised for lacking ambition, with one London Assembly member warning it risks "papering over London's accessibility failures".

The action plan includes measures to improve access to housing, transport, jobs, benefits and public services for the capital's 1.2 million deaf and disabled residents.

But Hina Bokhari, leader of the London Assembly Liberal Democrats, said the plans lacked "the scale of ambition, transformation and investment needed to even make a dent in the barriers".

Lord Sadiq Khan said he was committed to "redoubling our efforts to improve the lives of deaf and disabled Londoners".

He said the action plan tackled "the transport, employment, housing, safety and cost-of-living challenges" disabled Londoners face.

"It is unacceptable that deaf and disabled Londoners face barriers that affect their daily lives and prevent them from fully benefitting from life," he said.

"I am proud that London is leading the way to address this."

But Bokhari said her "biggest fear" was that the plan risked "papering over London's accessibility failures rather than confronting them".

"There are some worthwhile measures here, but the painful reality of the mayor's first ever disability action plan is that the ambition to really tackle those systemic barriers and genuinely make a difference to disabled Londoners' lives is simply not there," she said.

The plan was developed in partnership with advocacy group Inclusion London, Deaf and Disabled Londoners and other organisations.

Tracey Lazard, chief executive of Inclusion London, welcomed it but said "the focus now must shift to ensuring the plan is implemented fully".

According to research cited in the document, 31% of households with a disabled family member are living in poverty, while 59% of disabled Londoners were in work in 2024, compared with 80% of non-disabled Londoners.

Almost a third of disabled Londoners live in social housing, compared with one in 10 non-disabled residents, the report claims. However those unable to secure an accessible home are often forced into more expensive private rentals.

Communication barriers and inaccessible locations can also prevent disabled Londoners from accessing support they are entitled to, the report says.

The Greater London Authority has said it will trial improvements to accessible advice services, raise awareness of Transport for London concessions, work with the London Fire Brigade on safe evacuation routes and strengthen engagement for those with disabilities.

The strategy also includes measures to tackle disability hate crime after the Metropolitan Police recorded 2,245 disability hate crimes between 2022 and 2026, with the force pledging to make reporting offences and accessing support easier.

However, the plan does not address concerns about floating bus stops, despite City Hall officials previously acknowledging the issue was raised during its development.

Campaigners have called for future schemes to be scrapped, warning they could put vulnerable pedestrians at risk.

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