THIS newspaper recently promoted a listening event for carers and people with disabilities in Southampton.

People with wheelchairs and hearing impairments sat alongside parent carers at the meeting organised by John Denham MP.

Disabled people and carers have come under huge pressure in the last few years. National policies such as the bedroom tax have particularly hit the disabled.

ATOS has been declaring people fit to work who clearly aren’t. Councils like ours in Southampton have suffered huge cuts and are making difficult decisions.

If I become your Labour MP I’ll be proud to vote with our party to abolish the bedroom tax, and Labour has already called for ATOS to be sacked.

Local councils need to make sure there’s a human being at the end of the phone. It was good to see the head of adult social care Dave Shields at the listening event. People need more say on how things are run.

Disabled people and carers must also take action, like those who came along, and those of us without caring responsibilities should try to make time to help others.

Great organisations such as Time Bank, who also came to the meeting, are looking for new volunteers.

ROWENNA DAVIS, Prospective Labour MP for Southampton Itchen.