An Open Letter to the Prime Minister About Autism

Dear Prime Minister.

First let me congratulate you for your success in the Makerfield Election and the Leadership contest of the Labour Party.

I am Steve Pape an autistic and ADHD person from Huddersfield. I would like to open with your record as the Mayor of Manchester regarding autism and other neurodiverse conditions.

You supported the launch of a regional approach to make Greater Manchester the first autism-friendly city-region, building on insights from local autistic individuals and families. ¹

You established the Greater Manchester Disabled People’s Panel in 2019 to ensure regional policies were directly informed by disabled residents, including those with neurodivergence. ²

You backed Greater Manchester Autism Consortium through integrated local authority and health service commissioning to provide stable, strategic support rather than short-term fixes. Including an all age autism strategy ³

After hearing about that history I am thankful for the care you show for Neurodivergent people and I hope you will have success rolling this out on a national level. I’m also pleased that it does not end there, care is being extended to other vulnerable people.

I got this from my Linkedin inbox:

“Today the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham committed to ending rough sleeping in our country. He explicitly recognised the role of the government in helping people to ‘live well, building a more preventative state, investing in people’s success rather than paying for failure’.
All of us at Waythrough welcome this ambition. Our goal of saving a million lives and enhancing a million is taking us a similar direction. We must support communities earlier. And we must focus on their strengths and assets, and not just their needs and deficits.
We are ready to work with the Government to help make this ambition real, drawing on our expertise in supporting people facing drug and alcohol or mental health challenges and providing supported housing.” #TheWayAhead
– Evan Chiswell, Waythrough Executive Director

So within tall the big issues of the national economy, foreign policy, and pressure from other governments and multi-national companies, I ask you Prime Minister, that the most vulnerable may not be marginalised.

Yours

Steve Pape.

¹ https://www.tourismforall.co.uk/news/read/2019/06/greater-manchester-aiming-to-be-the-first-autism-friendly-city-in-the-country-b65

² https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/andy-burnham-disabled-activists-deliver-their-verdict/

³ https://www.local.gov.uk/case-studies/greater-manchester-combined-authority-coproducing-and-all-age-autism-strategy-0