TPT Responds To New Keep Britain Working Report

Date posted: 6th November 2025

Thomas Pocklington Trust examined the implications to blind and partially sighted people of the UK Government’s Keep Britain Working review published this week. Led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, its focus is on helping more disabled people to get into work and stay in work.

The final report, available on GOV.UK, sets out proposals for a new employer standard on healthy working practices, regional trials to test new support models and a focus on improving Access to Work and workplace adjustments: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-britain-working-review-final-report/

We believe these areas could deliver real benefits for blind and partially sighted people, who continue to face some of the highest barriers to employment.

What TPT Welcomes

We are encouraged that the report:

  • recognises disabled people as a priority group for action
  • proposes a clear employer standard covering adjustments, recruitment and staying in work plans
  • seeks to expand support that helps employees and employers work together on adjustments
  • highlights the need to improve Access to Work and reduce delays
  • proposes better data on what works so government and employers can be held to account

Mike Bell, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns at Thomas Pocklington Trust, said: “We are pleased to see a renewed commitment to improve employment outcomes for disabled people. Any national standard must include accessibility as a requirement, not an optional extra. Employers need practical guidance to recruit and retain blind and partially sighted talent and this report creates a real chance to make that happen.”

Concerns and What Still Needs To Change

While we welcome the direction of travel, there are several areas where further action is required.

  • The proposed employer standard does not yet guarantee that recruitment systems, digital platforms or workplace technologies are accessible.
  • The report refers to Access to Work improvements but does not commit to specific time targets. Delays in receiving assistive technology or support staff continue to force many applicants out of work or prevent them from taking up roles.
  • Small employers may struggle to afford adjustments if funding support is not designed in from the start.

Mike added: “Blind and partially sighted people are still being put off applying for jobs because online recruitment systems are not accessible or because adjustments arrive months late. We need clear timelines for Access to Work, enforced accessibility standards in recruitment and real support for small employers. If government gets this right, we can unlock a huge amount of talent.”

Our Priorities For Government

We are calling for:

  • Accessibility to be written into the new employer standard, including recruitment portals, assessments and workplace technology.
  • Guaranteed service standards for Access to Work, with transparent reporting of waiting times.
  • Funding for regional trials to include specialist vision impairment support.
  • Data to be broken down by disability type so progress for blind and partially sighted people can be tracked.

How We Already Support Blind and Partially Sighted Jobseekers

We deliver a range of programmes that support blind and partially sighted people into work and help employers become more inclusive:

Mike concluded: “We look forward to working with government to ensure that these proposals lead to real change. Blind and partially sighted people want to work, can work and should not be locked out by poor design, slow systems or prejudice.”

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