Torbay Council: Improving employment practices and support for Disabled people and carers

Steve Darling, a councillor in Torbay for 30 years, and now the Member of Parliament for Torbay, made a successful Access to Work claim for help with a support worker, which enabled him to succeed in his role both as Leader of the Council and Leader of the Lib Dem group. Steve was able to make this claim as he was receiving a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) in addition to the travel and subsistence allowance available to all councillors, meaning he was no longer classed as a volunteer by the Department for Work and Pensions. 

Steve was then able to use his lived experience as a Disabled person to change the culture within the council, raising awareness and working with other Disabled colleagues to reduce barriers for staff and councillors. The recent changes he was able to propose to how Torbay supports councillors with caring responsibilities shows how, even as an opposition councillor, it is possible to effect positive change and increase participation through strong relationships and cross party working.

There are many barriers for both Disabled people and Carers, in employment and in political representation. Disabled people are under-represented in political life, including at local government leveland in December 2023 the Disability Employment Gap was 27.9 per cent.

Disabled people often face additional costs when standing for election or carrying out council responsibilities. Although councils have a duty to make reasonable adjustments in order to ensure councillors can participate in council business, this would not usually include employing a specialist support worker, which in Steve’s case was necessary for him to carry out his duties as Leader of the Council and Leader of the Lib Dem group.

Caring commitments can also be a barrier to recruiting candidates to stand for election, as people worry about the time commitment and costs associated with taking on the duties of a councillor. 

In Torbay, Steve noted that some serving councillors were struggling to balance their responsibilities and their caring commitments, and that more could be done to support them. In particular, the council policy allowing carers to claim costs back for attending meeting was restricted to named committee members and was not extended to reserves.

The council supported Steve in applying for Access to Work funding for a dedicated personal assistant to support Steve in his role as Leader of the Council and Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, increasing his ability to deliver for his residents and community. 

Steve seeking Access to Work and being open about it has supported a culture change in Torbay Council, opening up a conversation and fostering an environment which encouraged staff members to do the same thing. 

Encouraging a more open dialogue around disability also meant that a member of Steve’s council group felt able to confide in him that they were struggling to balance council responsibilities with caring commitments. With full Council and budget review, he saw an opportunity to change this to increase the support available. 

The council were due to review councillors’ allowances, giving Steve the opportunity to propose an amendment to the policy to allow any councillor attending a meeting as part of council business to claim carers allowance, removing a key barrier to accepting a role as a reserve. This was done during cross-party talks. 

Steve discussed this proposal individually with other councillors in advance of the debate to explain its importance and secure cross-party support. When the Full Council meeting arrived, it was voted through, even though it was proposed as an opposition amendment.

Having more Disabled members, and improving access for carers, creates a more inclusive approach within the council, and has led to better engagement and work with the disability community in Torbay. This is apparent in areas such as improving access and training for Taxi and Hire Vehicles and improving accessibility across the tourism industry in the area. Steve’s role as Leader of the council and being open about the support he needs has changed opinions within the council itself.

Steve highlighted that, those who created policies in the first place can be defensive when you’re challenging their policies, making them resistant to change. 

Budgets are always a challenge but Steve suggests picking your moments to influence. For the policy around carers, for example, Steve chose to put the negotiation forward and have a discussion around the Annual Budget review. 

He faced few challenges from within the council when applying for Access to Work. Whenever Steve faced barriers in his work as a councillor, cultivating those relationships with Senior Leaders, including the Chief Executive and Associate Directors went a long way. His advice to new councillors is that they will need to cultivate those relationships and build them from the start. 

Things have changed a lot over the 30 years Steve has been a councillor, including ways of working and technology. He remembers the days when officers had to type up cassette tapes of meeting notes for him by hand. In that time, the council has improved provision of reasonable adjustments and specialist software, including equipment with more storage and better-quality equipment.

Steve credits his strong relationships with senior leaders like the Chief Executive and Associate Directors as key enablers for creating an inclusive environment in the council. 

Steve feels that there have been major culture changes to improve accessibility and inclusivity at Torbay. The council is a Disability Confident Employer, but Steve is keen to take this further and influence businesses in the local area to improve their own practices. He wants to reach out and showcase what the council is doing and how they can influence to raise standards in the community. 

Access to Work is only open to those in receipt of a Special Responsibility Allowance, not backbench councillors. People can be faced with various challenges and might have much going on with their lives. Steve would like to see this support extended to all officers and councillors who may need it. 

Steve would like to see the council reach out to people on the margins of society and work collaboratively with different departments. A real interest and strategy needs to be delivered on how we engage with user groups, people need to feel they are co-producing rather than being “done to”. There is also the opportunity to use schemes such as the Disability Confident Employer status to develop new strategies to reach out to other groups, such as the long-term unemployed. 

Steve’s key advice is that when you get opportunities, such as the one that came up to influence the budget and support carers, “take them!”. Whether you are an elected councillor or a member of staff, look for opportunities to influence. He stresses the importance of cross-party working, as well as the importance of relationships, with both elected members and other Senior Leaders. Steve’s advice to officers is that if you are working with Disabled councillors, listen to them about what they might need - don’t talk over them and work with them and not “for” them.