Many families with disabled people face a huge price tag attached to caring for their loved ones. At a recent Parliamentary event, Toby Perkins MP supported calls to ease the financial burden.

Toby Perkins MP for Chesterfield showed his support for disabled people at the parliamentary event, organised by disability equality charity Scope.

The drop-in event followed the launch of Scope’s Disability Price Tag report, a major piece of research that reveals the extra costs faced by disabled people each month.

Life costs more for disabled people because they have no choice but to spend more on essential goods and services like heating, therapies and equipment.

The Disability Price Tag report shows that disabled people face, on average, extra costs of £583 per month. For families with disabled children, the figure is £581 per month, with almost a quarter facing extra costs of over £1000.

At the event, Toby met with Scope Storytellers to discuss their experiences managing extra costs.

Toby Perkins MP said “It was fantastic to meet Scope Storytellers at today’s Disability Price Tag drop-in. It is vital that the UK’s 14 million disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.”

“I will be working with colleagues in the House of Commons to call on the Government to do more to address the extra costs faced by disabled people in Chesterfield and across the country”.

Adam Smiley, Public Affairs Manager at disability equality charity Scope, said “We were really pleased that Toby Perkins MP could attend our event today and show his support. On average disabled people face extra costs of £583 a month and families with disabled children face £581 each month.

“Scope is calling for the Government to put in place a welfare system that recognises extra costs, and provides disabled people and their families with the financial support they need.”