MPs back disability campaigners pub access bid

A pub-loving disability campaigner is taking his fight to Westminster after successfully forcing a change in the law in Scotland.

Mark Cooper's Barred! campaign forced an amendment to the Scottish Criminal Justice and Licensing Act last July, meaning licensees must show how their pub can be accessed by disabled customers, when applying for a licence.

The change in law is also expected to help blind and partially-sighted people, as well as wheelchair users.

And now Mark has received the backing of 17 Westminster MPs after an early day motion was tabled in Parliament.

Ian Murray, Labour MP for Edinburgh South, has put down the motion calling on the government to make to make "similar information available in the rest of the United Kingdom so that no one is excluded from a social occasion on the grounds of disability or where they may live."

The motion says the government must acknowledge that due to the campaigners' hard work "the needs of disabled customers when applying for a licence by providing access information about their premises and also means that disabled people will have access to vital information when planning a social occasion".

Mark said: "I would like to thank Ian for tabling the EDM, because it means that the issue of disabled access to pubs will be highlighted across the whole UK.

"As a great supporter of pubs at a time when they struggling gaining extra customers by providing access information to new pubs will provide publicans with a loyal customer base and allow disabled people to enjoy a social occasion without having to worry about issues which non disabled people do not have to."