City Hall has launched the Mayor of London's first-ever Disability Action Plan, a series of commitments aimed at improving access to transport, safety, housing, employment, and financial support for the capital's 1.2 million Deaf and Disabled population. However, the plan, published on September 14, has already been criticised by political opponents and campaigners as "papering over London's accessibility failures" rather than providing a long-term solution.
Critics Say Plan Lacks Ambition and Investment
Hina Bokhari, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly, said the strategy "lacks ambition" and is "completely lacking the scale of ambition, transformation and investment needed to even make a dent in the barriers disabled Londoners face." She added: "My biggest fear is that this plan risks papering over London's accessibility failures rather than confronting them."
Bokhari acknowledged there are "some worthwhile measures" but said "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."
Tracey Lazard, CEO of Inclusion London, which worked with the Greater London Authority (GLA) as a strategic partner, offered a more positive view. "We welcome it and see it as a strategically important positive step," she said. "Whilst at this time not every action suggested by our community was included in this first action plan, the focus now must shift to ensuring the plan is implemented fully and the visions set out in key policy areas are used to guide policy-making in London for years to come."
Plan Addresses Key Challenges Facing Disabled Londoners
The document focuses on five main challenges facing Disabled Londoners relating to finance, safety, and accessibility of services. It cites research showing poverty levels are on average seven points higher in households with at least one Disabled family member (31 per cent) compared to those without. In 2024, 59 per cent of Disabled Londoners were in work, compared to 80 per cent of non-disabled Londoners.
Almost a third of Disabled Londoners live in social housing, compared to 10 per cent of non-disabled residents, the report claims. However, those unable to live in accessible social housing are often forced to rent privately, resulting in intense financial pressure.
Claiming financial support is difficult for some Disabled Londoners, who told the authors that communication barriers and inaccessible locations had often stopped them getting what they were entitled to. As such, the GLA will pilot improvements to "accessible advice provision" to support boosting this uptake, including ensuring Disabled Londoners are aware of concessions on Transport for London (TfL) services.
Transport and Safety Concerns Remain Unaddressed
On transport, the plan makes no mention of concerns around floating bus stops, despite Tom Rahilly, Assistant Director of Communities and Social Policy at the GLA, telling the London Assembly in July that "it came up as an issue" during the production of the report. Campaigners have said that any plans for future floating bus stops in London must be scrapped to avoid any future tragedies involving cyclists colliding with vulnerable people.
There were also concerns around hate crime, with the Met Police recording 2,245 incidents of disability hate crime between 2022 and 2026. To address this, the Met have committed to working with the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) disability co-production group to make it easier to report crime and receive appropriate victim support.
The plan also includes a commitment to ensure the GLA works with the London Fire Brigade to create safe evacuation routes in all buildings.
Mayor's Absence and Future Monitoring
City Hall has pledged to strengthen engagement with Disabled Londoners to ensure "lived experience" is embedded at the heart of this work. While the Mayor has previously rejected the need for a dedicated Disability Champion, he said a "lived experience co-chair" will be appointed to support this work alongside the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, Debbie Bernard-Weekes.
In the foreword of the report, the Mayor of London said: "Our capital is home to 1.2million Deaf and Disabled people, who make an enormous contribution to our capital. But too many continue to face unacceptable inequalities and challenges that affect their daily lives and prevent them from fully participating in and benefitting from life in London." He added: "That's why we're launching our Action Plan for Disabled Londoners, to double down on our efforts and set out the bold actions we'll be taking to tear down these barriers and improve the lives of Deaf and Disabled people in our city."
Sir Sadiq had said he would "certainly" be at the launch when asked in July, but City Hall did not hold a public event for the release of the report and he was not able to attend. Instead, Deputy Mayor Weekes attended in his place. Ms Bokhari said: "The Mayor promised to be there to launch the plan himself, yet in the end he did not even show up - which is not surprising given it's hardly a plan to shout from the rooftops about."
The GLA says it will monitor progress on all action points and provide quarterly updates to its disability engagement forum, as well as publishing data online.
