Supporting Councillors with with Disabilities and Health Conditions

Councillors who indicate they have a disability and/or health condition on their personal details form or by direct contact are invited to discuss in confidence, the challenges which they face because of, their disability or health condition, to help inform the development of a risk assessment.  

In terms of identifying what 'reasonable adjustments' or further support individual councillors need to undertake their role as a County Councillor, it is crucial that Democratic Services receive 'informed professional' feedback and guidance. Unless medical/informed guidance is already available to refer to, this would generally involve a workplace assessment being undertaken with the councillor. The assessment is then reviewed and would inform the development of a Risk Assessment and provision of relevant member support bespoke to the councillor's individual needs.  

Disabled councillors may be eligible to apply for an Access to Work grant.  Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition: What Access to Work is - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) is a government scheme which provides grants for things like specialist IT equipment, support workers, training and travel. As part of the Access to Work process, individuals are assessed via a workplace assessment and recommendations are then discussed with the individual and the employer, with an Access to Work grant being awarded. 

Alternatively, Democratic Services may require 'informed professional' advice and guidance from relevant organisations or services. In collaboration with the councillor and 'informed professional advice', Democratic Services can then with better certainty and being better informed look at options and implement any appropriate strategies and support packages.  

The agreed support measures or 'reasonable adjustments' are then updated onto a Risk Assessment and actions are taken forward. Reasonable adjustments can range from moving seats in the council chamber, to specialist ICT software/adaptations and training. The risk assessment is tailored to the individual and regular review dates are set, to measure the impact of the 'reasonable adjustment' and adjust as required. 

The content of this risk assessment will remain confidential and will only be shared with the consent of the councillor. However, it is recommended that councillors with disabilities or health issues discuss these confidentially with a named contact within their political group such as the Leader, Group Whip etc, as the group may also be able to provide some reasonable adjustments or additional support. 

Anyone with a disability, no matter how minor or temporary, that could affect their ability to react to an audible alarm and /or self-evacuate in an emergency must have a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) in place. The purpose of the plan is to identify and document any individual adjustments that may be required, to ensure that a safe and timely evacuation can take place. These are reviewed every six months.