As you’re all more than fully aware, another long cold winter is already in full swing, well that is unless you’re the government’s Cabinet Office.
The National Resilience Strategy, promised 18 months ago, was supposed to set out how the government would handle another national crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic. It was due in July, but it didn’t come. Then we were told the seemingly autumn.
At the beginning of the month, The Mirror asked the Cabinet Office where the National Resilience Strategy was, as it had been promised in the autumn and we were just about to be plunged into the below-zero temperatures you’d typically find in winter.
However, the response was that it was technically still autumn until December 21st. Funny, I didn’t know the government observed the winter solstice.
Bit weird then that everyone was complaining about the lack of Christianity in the country a few weeks when the government celebrates pagan holidays, apparently.
But we’re now at December 20th and lo and behold, still no plan. Unless they magically come up with this plan by tomorrow, that’s another deadline the government has missed on ensuring our most vulnerable are safe.
The fact it still hasn’t been published shows just how unprepared for another crisis the government.
And that when not if, we’re hit with the next big thing, disabled people will be the ones to suffer again.
Let us not forget that disabled people were some of the hardest hit during the covid pandemic. Six out of 10 of all Covid deaths in England were disabled people. And while many disabled who died people fell into the clinically extremely vulnerable category, that isn’t the only reason for the figure being so high.
In April 2020 many, particularly those with learning and neurodivergent disabilities were asked to sign Do Not Resuscitate Orders should they be taken to hospital with Covid, many families of disabled victims also found that the orders had been placed without their consent.
Those classed as “vulnerable” were told to shield in our houses and left for the best part of a year without any support whilst everyone else was encouraged to spread the virus around.
The lack of PPE and the way the practice of sending those with Covid back to care homes meant it tore through disabled and elderly people in residential care. All the while families weren’t allowed to visit.
And now with the harshest winter since the 1970s already upon us, when disabled and elderly people are having to choose between whether to heat or eat and the fears of rolling blackouts loom over those who rely on electricity to literally stay alive.
Once again the Tories have failed us again by not providing clear guidance to help us survive further catastrophes.
Labour's Shadow Paymaster General, Fleur Anderson MP, said: “Despite a global pandemic, record temperatures which have put our roads, rail and critical infrastructure under serious strain, and an unprecedented cost of living crisis, Britain’s resilience is little more than an afterthought to Tory Ministers.
“The latest Government excuse for the delay was to claim that Winter technically doesn't start until December 21st. Try telling that to the freezing pensioners who currently can't leave the house because of the heavy snow we have seen this weekend.”
When I contacted The Cabinet Office for comment on this matter, I was assured it would be coming soon but still couldn’t give a clear date. I was also given the same comment as they previously gave The Mirror on December 3rd.
“The first duty of any government is to keep the public safe. That’s why we are further strengthening how we prepare for and respond to emergencies, boosting the effective resilience capability we already have in place,” the statement said.
"We will shortly publish our comprehensive strategy for resilience which is already being put into practice across Government. There are robust contingency plans in place to ensure that the country is ready to meet the challenges of winter and beyond."
I was subsequently passed on to the Department for Health and Social Care and then the Department for Works and Pensions in my quest to find out when the strategy is coming and what it will mean for disabled people. As neither has commented I still find myself any the wiser, but the passing of the buck certainly speaks volumes.
I can’t help but feel like the last decade, never mind the last three years has shown that keeping the public safe is very low down on the conservative government’s list of priorities.
One thing's for certain, not enough was done to protect disabled people in the last crisis so without a clear plan, there’s no telling how many more lives will be lost.
The cabinet office released the resilience strategy, renamed The UK Government Resilience Framework on Monday afternoon, after this column was already filed, to little fanfare.
The Framework hardly even mentions disabled people, despite us being the most affected in the last crisis. In my opinion, this plan has done nothing to quiet concerns and still shows that, the government will not do enough to save disabled people when the next crisis arises.
