Your rights as a newly elected councillor: A guide to disability support

The social model of disability underpins this toolkit. It recognises that disabled people are disabled by societal barriers such as design of buildings, systems, processes and attitudes, rather than by an impairment or condition alone. You do not need to identify as disabled to use this toolkit. If an impairment, health condition or neurodivergence leads to barriers that affect your ability to carry out your role, this toolkit may be relevant to you. We use the terms disabled person, person with an impairment and neurodivergent person, and we respect how individuals choose to describe themselves.

You do not need a formal diagnosis to use this guide. You do not need to think of yourself as disabled. If you are finding parts of the role challenging because of a health condition or impairment, this guide is for you.

Some councillors may know exactly what support they need from day one, while others are still working it out. Some have conditions that were diagnosed years ago. Others received a diagnosis recently or are in the process of getting one. And some will become disabled or receive a new diagnosis mid-term, part way through their time in office. This guide is written for all of them.

What it covers: your rights under the Equality Act 2010, what good practice looks like when your council is supporting you, what you can ask for, and what to do if things are not working as they should. It also points you towards Access to Work, a government scheme that many disabled councillors do not know they may be eligible for, and towards other sources of support.

How this guide was produced

This guide was co-produced with disabled councillors and council officers who are part of the Local Government Disability Champions Network (LGDCN), supported by the Local Government Association (LGA). Together with guides on Access to Work and reasonable adjustments for councillors (a model policy), they make up a toolkit for disabled councillors. The content was shaped entirely by the experiences and priorities of the steering group. This guide reflects what they said mattered most.  

The Equality Act 2010 gives any councillor who is disabled the right to reasonable adjustments to remove the barriers they face due to their disability. If you are disabled, this right does not begin when you ask for help, it begins when you are elected.

Under the Equality Act 2010, disability is defined broadly. It covers any physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Long-term means 12 months or more, or something likely to last that long, or a recurring condition. Conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV are automatically covered from the point of diagnosis. You do not need a formal diagnosis to be protected by the Act. If your condition has the effect the Act describes, the legal protections apply to you.

This matters because many councillors do not identify as disabled. Someone managing depression may not think of themselves this way. Someone with a condition that flares intermittently may not see it as a disability. Someone with a recent diagnosis may still be working out what it means for them. The Equality Act 2010 is not concerned with how you identify, it is concerned with the effect your condition has on your work and your life.

The social model of disability

This guide is written from the perspective of the social model of disability. The social model recognises that disabled people are not disabled by their conditions alone. They are disabled by barriers: barriers in buildings, in systems, in processes and in attitudes. A councillor with a mobility impairment can be prevented from attending meetings not by their condition, but by stairs, by inadequate seating, by buildings that were not designed with accessibility in mind. By removing the barrier, the person can participate.

This matters for how you think about what you are entitled to ask for. Rather than asking for special treatment, you are asking for the barriers to be removed so you can do your role effectively.

To find out more about the social model of disability, see Scope's explanation of the social model and Disability Rights UK on social model language.

You do not need to disclose your diagnosis

Adjustments can be requested confidentially, as your council does not need to know your diagnosis to make adjustments. You do not have to disclose your condition to anyone other than the person handling your request, and even then, you can choose what you share. You can describe how your condition affects your ability to do the role without naming the condition itself.

Some councillors choose not to tell their group leader or political colleagues about their disability or health condition. This is entirely your decision.

We also know that the representation of disabled people in elected office is important and can encourage potential candidates who are disabled to put themselves forward for election, increasing the representation of disabled people in local government.

The anticipatory duty

A council's duty to make reasonable adjustments for a councillor arises when the council becomes aware that a councillor is at a disadvantage compared to others because of their disability. This is, in part, an anticipatory duty. This means councils who are aware of any need for adjustments should not wait until a disabled councillor asks for help before thinking about access. They should already have considered what barriers might exist and taken steps to address them. In practice, accessible meeting venues should be the default, not the exception. Induction processes should routinely ask about adjustments, and equipment and support should be available as soon as it can be arranged.

The anticipatory duty exists because the alternative places the burden on the disabled person to identify problems, raise them, and push for solutions. 

Support for disabled councillors can sometimes be reactive, inconsistent, or simply absent, often not through unwillingness but through a lack of awareness or established process. This section sets out what good practice looks like, so that you know what to expect and what to ask for.

The following examples show what can happen when that proactive approach is not in place. One councillor could not get around their council building independently. This only became apparent on the way to their first meeting, when another councillor asked how they were finding the building—a conversation that should have happened long before they arrived. Another councillor's reasonable adjustment, a cushion for joint pain, disappeared repeatedly until they gave up and started bringing their own. Unfortunately, these are not unusual experiences.

Before your first meeting

Before you attend your first meeting, your council should have had a discussion with you about whether you have any access needs or require any adjustments. This does not have to be a formal process, a straightforward question as part of induction is enough, for example: is there anything you need to participate fully? What matters is that the question is asked proactively and not left for you to raise.

Your induction should include a building tour or orientation if you have mobility, sensory or orientation needs. It should include a named contact who is responsible for disability-related matters. It should explain what kind of adjustments can be available and how to request them. If you need specific equipment to do the role, such as hearing loops, adapted seating or specific technology, your council should begin sourcing it as soon as possible after your election, unless it is not reasonable for it do so. Councils do not know who will be elected until polling day, and some equipment or technology may require a procurement process or an occupational health assessment before it can be ordered. The important thing is that the process starts early and that you are kept informed.

Named contact

Your council should designate a named officer, most likely within democratic services, who is responsible for supporting disabled councillors. This person should be your point of contact for access needs, adjustments and queries about the Access to Work scheme. They do not need to be a disability specialist. They will need to know what the council can offer, who can authorise the implementation of adjustments, and where to go when they do not know the answer.

If your council does not have a named contact for this purpose, you can request for them to put one in place. It is good practice, and it makes a real difference: without it, councillors can find themselves navigating a system where it is not clear who should be taking responsibility and it can be difficult to get things done.

Personal emergency evacuation plans

If you are not able to evacuate a council building independently in an emergency, your council should put a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) in place for you. This is a health and safety requirement, and it is your council's responsibility to initiate it. If you have mobility, sensory or other conditions that would affect your ability to evacuate safely, raise it with your democratic services team or your named contact.

Meetings and council business

Reasonable adjustments for attending meetings and carrying out council business can take many forms. Accessible meeting venues, reserved parking or transport support, adapted seating, hearing loops, British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation, remote or hybrid attendance options where possible, documents in accessible formats, and additional time to read or respond to papers are all examples.

Your council should already be considering accessibility when it chooses meeting venues and formats. The anticipatory duty means accessibility should be built in, not added when someone raises it. 

Reasonable adjustments are changes that remove or reduce the barriers you face in doing your role as a councillor, and the range of adjustments available is wider than most people realise. Examples specific to the councillor role include: adapted seating or specialist chairs, accessible meeting formats, hearing loops or BSL interpretation, documents in large print or accessible formats, reserved parking or transport support, technology such as screen readers or speech-to-text software, a named officer to assist with casework or administrative tasks, support to read or respond to papers, and regular check-ins to make sure what is in place is still working.  

The ACAS guidance on reasonable adjustments provides further examples in a working context, many of which apply directly to councillors.

No adjustment is too small to ask for. A cushion for joint pain can be a reasonable adjustment. A change to the timing of meetings, if your condition makes early mornings or lengthy sessions particularly difficult, can be a reasonable adjustment. The test under the Equality Act 2010 is whether the adjustment is reasonable. Some adjustments may not be reasonable on grounds of cost, resources, practicability or effectiveness, but this is context dependent. An adjustment can be reasonable in some circumstances and not in others. For example, an adjustment may not be reasonable if it will be of limited and uncertain benefit to the councillor, but the same adjustment may be reasonable for another councillor for whom the benefit will be immediate and certain.  

The council can refuse to make an adjustment if it deems it unreasonable. But a refusal is not the end of the process. A need that cannot be met in one way may be reasonable to meet in another: if a specific piece of equipment is considered too costly for the council to provide directly, for example, it may be fundable through Access to Work instead. If the council’s reasons for refusing do not hold up, the decision can be challenged. The council may have a review process for adjustment refusal decisions; otherwise the council’s internal complaints process should be used.

A more detailed list of examples, organised by the type of barrier they address, is in the Appendix at the end of this guide.

How to ask

You can request a reasonable adjustment from your named contact in democratic services, or from the monitoring officer if your council has not designated a specific contact. You do not need to put the request in writing, though you may find it helpful to do so, for example so you can refer back to your request later. You do not need to provide medical evidence or a formal diagnosis. You should try to explain how your condition affects your abilities, and how the adjustment will help, so that the council has a specific understanding of your needs.

If you are not sure what adjustment would help, that is fine. You can ask for a conversation rather than arriving with a fully worked-out request. The person handling your request should be exploring options with you, not expecting you to specify the exact solution.

If your need is urgent, you can ask for a temporary adjustment while longer-term arrangements are put in place. Something can almost always be done quickly, and a temporary measure should not be used as a reason to delay a permanent one.

Adjustments should be reviewed at least once a year, or sooner if your needs change or your role changes. You can ask for a review if things are not working, and the council can also propose to arrange one if it becomes apparent that a review would be useful.

Confidentiality

You can ask for your adjustment request to be handled confidentially. The details of your condition do not need to go beyond the person or team dealing with the request. If confidentiality matters to you, it is important to say so at the outset.

Reasonable adjustment passport

A reasonable adjustment passport is a short document that records what adjustments have been agreed with you. It can be useful because it means you do not have to start again from scratch if your named contact changes, if you move wards, or if the council goes through any structural changes. If your council has a reasonable adjustment passport scheme for its officers, you can ask whether it also applies to councillors.

A template reasonable adjustment passport and further guidance is in The Reasonable Adjustment Policy for Councillors. 

Support for disabled councillors varies across councils. Where good practice is not yet in place, it is often a matter of insufficient awareness and process rather than unwillingness. If you are not being offered proactive support, or if a reasonable adjustment you have asked for has been delayed, refused or repeatedly fails to happen, there are steps you can take to ensure you are not impeded from doing your role.

You may wish to start by setting down in writing what you asked for, when you asked for it, and what (if any) the response was. A record can be helpful for all parties involved. If an informal request has not been acted on, you can follow it up in writing to your named contact or the monitoring officer. Keep the tone factual: you are documenting a request and asking for a response.

If a formal request for a reasonable adjustment is refused, the council should give you a written response outlining their reasons. Adjustments may be refused on grounds of cost, resources, practicability or effectiveness, and the council needs to be able to justify the decision against those grounds. You can challenge it if the reasons do not hold up. If the issue is costs, you might point out that the adjustment may be able to be funded through Access to Work, subject to an individual assessment.

If informal routes have not worked, your council should have a formal process for raising concerns.

You can also contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), which provides free advice and support on equality and human rights law, including the Equality Act 2010. The EASS helpline is 0808 800 0082.

The Local Government Disability Champions Network (LGDCN) can also offer peer support and connect you with councillors and officers who have navigated similar situations. The LGDCN is not able to advocate on individual cases, but can signpost to specialist organisations. Details are in the final section of this guide.

A note on political culture

Some councillors feel that there can be pressure within political groups not to draw attention to disability or a tendency to treat asking for help as a sign of weakness. Some councillors have been told directly that their disability makes them unsuitable for the role.

This is wrong, and it may also constitute disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. If someone discourages you from requesting adjustments, or if you experience hostility from colleagues because of your disability or health condition, or your need for adjustments, you should make a record of it and seek advice, for example from your council, your political group, the EASS, or the LGDCN.

As one participant in the steering group discussions for this guide described, ableism can persist as a form of discrimination in ways that other forms of discrimination no longer do. Knowing your rights, and knowing there are routes for escalation, can change the position you are starting from.

Access to Work is a government scheme that funds practical support for disabled people in work. Many disabled councillors do not know they may be eligible, and in some cases have been told incorrectly that they are not. If you receive a councillor allowance, you are eligible to apply. You do not need a formal diagnosis, and eligibility is not limited to cabinet members or those in receipt of special responsibility allowances.

The Access to Work scheme is separate from the duty to make reasonable adjustments, but both should be considered at the same time and raised early, ideally at induction. Waiting until a problem becomes urgent can make both processes harder. Access to Work can fund things like specialist equipment, support from a personal assistant, coaching and transport costs. Reasonable adjustments are provided directly by your council. Understanding the difference, and how the two work together, matters when you are working out what support you need to be effective at your role.

A full guide to Access to Work for councillors is included in this toolkit. It covers eligibility in detail, how to apply, what you can get, and the practical problems you may encounter in the process.

This guide focuses on the period from election onwards, because that is when your council's legal duties begin. However, the barriers disabled councillors face may start earlier, such as at the point of deciding whether to stand, during the candidate selection process, or during the campaign itself.

This is covered in the LGA's Be a Councillor guide for disabled candidates. It is written for people who are considering standing for election or who are in the process of doing so, and it includes practical advice on what support is available and what to expect at each stage.

Support at the pre-election stage is primarily a responsibility of political parties. The LGA's Disabled Councillors Leadership Programme offers development support for currently elected disabled councillors. If you are newly elected and have not come across this programme, it is worth looking into.

If you are already in post and using this guide to fill in gaps from your induction, the Be a Councillor guide can still be useful background reading. It covers many of the adjustments and rights that also apply once you are serving.

One of the themes the steering group discussions for this guide often returned to was the feeling of isolation. Disabled councillors may not know other disabled councillors and may have to navigate adjustments and access issues on their own, without knowing who else has faced the same problems or how others have dealt with them.

Participants in the steering group said that the burnout rate among disabled councillors can often be high. Disabled people are highly resilient but constantly having to ask for what you need in order to do your role can be exhausting if every request feels like a battle. The role of a councillor is demanding enough without having to push for basic work-related support on top of it. Unfortunately, in some cases, councillors have questioned their position and think about stepping down as a result.

The Local Government Disability Champions Network (LGDCN) is the national network for disabled councillors and council officers with an interest in disability inclusion. It connects people who understand the specific challenges of the councillor role, shares good practice, promotes the importance of an inclusive local government sector, and provides a community for disabled councillors across England and Wales.

Mentoring from experienced disabled councillors, including cross-party mentoring, can make a significant difference in the early months of a new role. The LGDCN can help connect you with people who have navigated the system and had successful outcomes.

If your council has a staff disability network, it may be worth asking whether councillors can join it. Many councils have their own disability networks which can offer support to councillors alongside the LGDCN. The LGDCN operates specifically to support councillors and officers together to ensure local democracy is truly inclusive.

Where to go for more help

The following organisations and resources can provide support, advice and further information.

• Local Government Disability Champions Network (LGDCN) — the national network for disabled councillors and council officers. Offers peer support, good practice sharing and signposting. The LGDCN cannot advocate on individual cases but can connect you with others who have faced similar challenges. Find out more at the LGDCN page on the LGA website.
• Local Government Association (LGA) — provides guidance for councils on disability inclusion, reasonable adjustments and Access to Work. Read the LGA's Be a Councillor guide for disabled candidates on the LGA website. 
• Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) — provides free independent advice on discrimination and human rights law, including the Equality Act 2010. It can help you understand your rights and what options are available if you are experiencing challenges. Phone: 0808 800 0082. Visit the Equality Advisory and Support Service website.
• ACAS — provides guidance on reasonable adjustments in a working context. Read the ACAS guidance on reasonable adjustments.
• Council disability networks — many councils have their own staff disability networks. These can sometimes offer support to councillors as well as officers. It is worth asking whether your council has one and whether councillors can participate.
• Companion guides in this toolkit — The reasonable adjustment policy for councillors includes a model policy your council can adopt and a reasonable adjustment passport template; The guide to Access to Work for councillors explains how to apply, what you can get, and how to deal with the practical problems in the process.

The following reasonable adjustments are included as examples only. What is reasonable depends on your circumstances and your council's resources. Councils reserve the right to make decisions about reasonable adjustments in consultation with their Human Resources and other departments, and with the councillor in question.