["Jennifer Craft is concerned about the financial challenges faced by local museums in Thurrock, including the Purfleet Heritage and Military Centre. She highlights the museum's rich history, its role in preserving local heritage, and the efforts of volunteers who run it. She mentions that despite receiving limited funding, the museum relies on small donations, entrance fees, and yearly subscriptions to cover maintenance costs. Craft emphasizes the importance of ensuring that smaller, volunteer-run sites can access the support available from the Government. Wera Hobhouse highlighted the significant contribution of local museums to the UK economy and local communities. She noted that the independent museum sector contributed nearly £900 million to the UK economy and attracted almost 20 million visitors in 2023. She emphasized the importance of volunteers who support museums and highlighted the Museum of Bath at Work as an example of a small museum operating with limited funding but extensive community support. Hobhouse also pointed out the severe impact of local authority funding cuts, with over 500 museums closing in the last 25 years, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities. She argued that local museums are crucial for education and community cohesion, providing a sense of belonging and understanding of local history."]

['Ms. Craft expressed concern about the persistent disability employment gap of around 30%, noting that over one million disabled people want to work but face poor employer attitudes and insufficient support programmes. She highlighted the discrimination faced by disabled individuals, with three out of four reporting negative attitudes in recent years. Disabled children are deprived of life chances due to a broken special educational needs system. The disability pay gap stands at 17%, equating to over £1,000 less per month for households compared to non-disabled households. Ms. Craft also pointed out that two-thirds of disabled people fear disclosing their disability during job applications.']

["Disabled children enter the education system with significant challenges due to underfunding and understaffing over 14 years, leaving a broken special educational needs and disabilities system. Parents struggle to secure their child's entitlements at every step of the way, impacting life chances compared to other children. The current statutory framework for home-to-school transport excludes disabled children from accessing education before age five and after age 16, despite local authorities' discretion in providing transport for early years settings being often met with flat refusal or unsuitable arrangements."]