19/02/2026
An MLA pay rise of £14,000.
At the same time, post-18 education funding for young people with SEN isn’t available.
Disabled people’s services are being cut.
And the proposed Disability Strategy?
No meaningful financial commitment to make a tangible difference to Deaf and disabled people’s lives.
So what are we left with?
A document full of warm words.
Hopes.
Aspirations.
But no funded action.
How can elected representatives justify awarding themselves a substantial pay rise while telling disabled people there’s “no money” for education, support services, or real implementation of rights?
A strategy without financial backing is not a strategy. It’s a brochure.
Post-18 support is the difference between opportunity and isolation. Between independence and being pushed back into dependency. Between dignity and exclusion.
This isn’t about envy. It’s about priorities.
When politicians secure £14,000 more each, while disabled people are handed cuts and unfunded promises, it sends a clear message about whose lives are valued.
Disabled people deserve more than recycled commitments and empty frameworks.
We deserve funded change.
Right now, the priorities are fundamentally wrong.