Politics

Disabled women face ‘discrimination double whammy’ at work

Published

4 weeks ago

November 12, 2024

DISABLED people are more than £2,100 a year worse off than non-disabled colleagues, with women facing a double whammy of discrimination at work, a committee heard.

Rhianydd Williams, of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Cymru, gave evidence to the Senedd’s equality committee as part of an inquiry on disability and employment.

Ms Williams told the committee that the umbrella body estimates the pay gap at £1.16 an hour or, based on a 35-hour working week, £2,111.20 a year.

Ms Williams said the difference is wider for women as she called for mandatory reporting of disability pay gap information and a greater focus on intersectionality.

She highlighted disability pay gap day on November 7, the day an average disabled worker effectively stops being paid for the rest of the year compared with a non-disabled colleague.

Jenny Rathbone, who chairs the equality committee, warned that disabled women face a “double whammy of discrimination” in the workplace.

Ms Williams, TUC Cymru’s equality and policy officer, said accessing reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 remains a major barrier.

She called for time limits as well as a passporting system to keep a live record of adjustments agreed between workers and employers.

Ms Williams said employers often have the final say on what is deemed reasonable and some do not budget for any adjustments.

She warned: “A lot of the time people will just leave the workplace: they’ll experience discrimination and they will leave.”

Ms Williams pointed to examples of branches submitting grievances to try to make sure basic facilities such as workplace toilets are available.

Asked about the Welsh Government’s disability rights taskforce, she said the pace of progress has been slow and she had hoped an action plan would be in place by now.

Dee Montague-Coast, engagement officer at the Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales charity, told the committee she often works in her pyjamas from her adjustable bed.

“In my previous workplaces, things like that would have been seen as totally unacceptable or ‘not quite right’,” she said. “So, I think as a wider society, we have a lot to do in terms of making experiences like mine just normalised.”

She called for a one-stop shop for support and a no-wrong-door approach, warning disabled people face a significant administrative burden in navigating various systems.

Ms Montague-Coast, who had a decades-long delay in getting a diagnosis for endometriosis, said people have been treated appallingly by the UK Government over the past 15 years.

She said: “I think there’s despair from disabled people, from disabled people’s organisations, … that they are still being left out of conversations … and decisions made about us.”

Ms Montague-Coast criticised the new Labour UK Government’s decision to continue reforms aimed at tightening work capability assessments.

She said: “We need to recognise that there are disabled people who cannot work and should not be expected to try to find work. But they’re going to be up to £5,000 worse off.”

Ms Montague-Coast added that society tends to view disability as inspirational or tragic, with little in between, warning that ‘hidden’ disabilities do not fit that narrow narrative.

Angharad Dean said she found employers were more accommodating of working from home during the pandemic but flexibility retreated as the world started opening up.

Ms Dean, a new mother who is registered blind and uses a guide dog, told the committee she has been searching for work but not getting anywhere.

She warned disabled people continue to be “weeded out” of application processes, leaving people too scared to disclose conditions.

She told the committee it took six months to receive support under Access to Work, a UK scheme that provides grants, in her previous job.

She told the meeting on November 11: “I was out of pocket for such a long time that my pay cheque wasn’t actually giving me any money at the end of the month.”

Business

Welsh Government rejects Council’s tourism tax plea

Published

3 days ago

December 6, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has rejected a request from Pembrokeshire County Council to reconsider its 182-night rule on holiday letting.

In a letter to the local authority from Wales’s Finance Secretary, Mark Drakeford, the Welsh Government said it would not reconsider its approach until it had two years’ data on its effects.

The Labour government introduced the 182-night rule to target property owners who casually rent properties and pay neither the increased Council Tax premium on second homes nor Small Business Rates. By encouraging owners to release properties onto the for-sale market, the government wants to increase the availability of homes in Wales’s holiday hotspots. It’s a blunt tool, and there have been predictable but unforeseen consequences (at least by the Welsh Government). The rule’s introduction has reduced the number of properties upon which owners pay either the enhanced rate of Council Tax for second homes or pay business rates.

A LETTER TO MARK

On October 17, Pembrokeshire’s county councillors instructed the Council leader to write to the Welsh Government asking for a reduction in the 182-night rule.

Although councillors agreed an increase in the previous threshold was welcome, many felt the letting target was too high for many viable businesses.

The letter to the Welsh Government said: “Whilst 182 days is certainly achievable in some of our main tourist towns such as Tenby, Saundersfoot, and Newport, it was very difficult to achieve this in other parts of the county, particularly away from the sea.”

The letter said the rule is having a detrimental effect on Pembrokeshire’s vital tourism industry.

Council Leader Jon Harvey’s letter also said: “We do not wish to implement any local policy decisions that would conflict with Welsh Government, and, as such, I am formally writing to you to ask the Welsh Government to consider reducing the 182 days let threshold for self-catering properties to qualify for Non-Domestic Rates.”

DRAKEFORD SAYS “NO”

In a reply from Mark Drakeford, which was circulated to all Council members, the Welsh Government refused to reconsider its position ahead of the next tourism season.

Mr Drakeford said: “The primary aims of our changes to local taxes are to ensure property owners are making a fair contribution and to maximise the use of property to the benefit of local communities. This could include benefits arising from increased occupancy for short-term letting or the release of some properties for sale or rent as permanent homes for local people.

“As a consequence of the changes, self-catering properties are classed as non-domestic only if they are being used for business purposes for the majority of the year. This provides a clearer demonstration that the properties concerned are being let regularly and are making a substantial contribution to the local economy.”

Mr Drakeford claimed that information from businesses engaged in holiday letting showed the Welsh Government’s approach was having the effects Cardiff Bay desired. That seems contrary to data provided by the Wales Tourism Alliance and the figures produced for Pembrokeshire County Council’s budget.

Confirming the Welsh Government has no plans to reconsider its position, Mark Drakeford said: “We understand that there may be a period of adjustment, as some property owners consider their options and determine how to respond. It will be important to allow time for the changes to embed before drawing any firm conclusions.

“The initial impact on the number of self-catering properties classified as non-domestic will be known after April 2025, when two years will have elapsed since the changes took effect. This is when the Valuation Office Agency is expected to have completed a full round of routine compliance checks.”

Claiming that reconsidering the position would cause “uncertainty” in the private letting sector, Mr Drakeford wrote: “There are no plans to undertake a formal review in the short-term, nor in isolation from the broader package of measures within our three-pronged approach to tackling the impact that large numbers of second homes and holiday lets can have on communities and the Welsh language.”

That’s not only a “no”, it’s a “no” with knobs on.

YOU ALREADY HAVE ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED

Mark Drakeford doubled down on his “no” by claiming Pembrokeshire County Council already had all the tools it needed to address the problems caused by the tourism tax.

He said: “We have extended the exceptions to council tax premiums to include properties with a planning condition which specifies that the property may only be used as a holiday let or prevents its permanent occupation as a person’s sole or main residence. We have also provided

guidance for local authorities on the use of discretion to tailor their arrangements to reflect local circumstances.”

Quite how designating a property for a holiday let allows its release onto the local housing market where homes for local families are in short supply is unaddressed.

The Finance Secretary continues: “Where a self-catering property does not meet the letting criteria and is not subject to a planning condition, the Welsh Government has provided local authorities with as much discretion as possible to consider the approach to take for the benefit of your communities.

“We consider our local taxation regime will help local authorities to incentivise the right balance between capacity within the self-catering tourism sector, and [its[ economic benefits and supporting viable communities of local residents to live and work in these areas.”

If, as Mark Drakeford claims, Pembrokeshire County Council has all the powers and options it needs to address the issue, there will, no doubt, be a flood of information coming from the Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Joshua Beynon, to show members precisely where the rabbit that should be in the hat is hidden.

News

Pembrokeshire County Council prepares for severe weather impact

Published

3 days ago

December 6, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE COUNCIL says it has initiated emergency preparedness plans as the county braces for severe weather conditions this weekend. Additional staff are on standby to tackle potential issues across the highways network and in local communities.

Key measures announced include:

Facility closures: All council-operated facilities, including leisure centres, libraries, parkland, and Waste and Recycling Centres, will remain closed on Saturday, December 7.
Public transport suspension: Bus services will be halted, and Transport for Wales has been informed of the disruption.
Cleddau Bridge restrictions: High-sided vehicles are advised to avoid the Cleddau Bridge, which may face a full closure overnight and throughout Saturday due to high winds.
Emergency shelter: An emergency night shelter has been opened and will remain operational until Monday, December 9, to support those in need.
Community support: Care providers and care homes have implemented contingency plans to safeguard Pembrokeshire’s most vulnerable residents.

The council urges residents to remain vigilant and stay updated via Pembrokeshire County Council’s social media channels over the weekend.

For more information and updates, monitor local news outlets.

News

Welsh Conservatives elect new leader

Published

3 days ago

December 6, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CLWYD WEST Member of the Senedd (MS) Darren Millar has been elected unopposed as the new leader of the Welsh Conservative Group in the Senedd.

Millar’s appointment follows unanimous public endorsements from all 15 of his colleagues in the Welsh Parliament. The nomination period for the leadership role closed at 5:00pm today.

Commenting on the election, Bernard Gentry, Chairman of the Welsh Conservative Party, said:
“I am pleased to announce that Darren Millar MS has been elected unopposed as the new Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group in the Welsh Parliament.

“In recent months, we’ve been winning numerous local government by-elections across Wales, and our action days have recruited hundreds of new volunteers and activists. Working together as one united party under Darren, Mims, and myself, I am confident we can achieve further success at the Senedd elections in 2026 and bring to an end the quarter of a century of Labour rule.

“I wish Darren every success as he takes the helm.”

The newly elected leader, Darren Millar MS, expressed gratitude for the support he has received:
“I am humbled by the incredible support of my colleagues in the Senedd and the kind messages I have received from Conservative Party members and members of the public across the country.

“Andrew RT Davies will be a difficult act to follow, but I am determined to build on his legacy as we take the fight to our political opponents in the run-up to the Senedd elections in 2026.

“After 25 years of Labour failure, Wales is crying out for hope and change. I look forward to setting out our plans to deliver just that in the weeks and months to come.”