Short update on the recently closed Independent Living Fund:
A couple of weeks ago, Minister for Disabled People Justin Tomlinson wrote an imperious letter to the Guardian in response to an Aditya Chakrabortty article about social security cuts.
Tomlinson’s letter included this very touchy paragraph about the government’s closure of the Independent Living Fund – the fund that severely disabled people used to pay for essential extra carer hours before the government closed the fund on June 30:
“Aditya Chakrabortty’s article (Disabled people have become human collateral in an ideological war, 9 June) is a travesty of the truth. First among a catalogue of inaccuracies is the claim that support made available to some disabled people under the independent living fund is to be removed. Responsibility for providing this support is, in fact, being transferred to local authorities. Far from being taken away, it will be administered in a way better able to take account of variations in local circumstances and services.”
Tomlinson was talking total shit, of course. We knew that and many have reported on it, but still. I sent an FOI recently to local authorities to ask for updates on the devolution of ILF funding to councils.
FOI responses have started to trickle in. It’s still early days, but we can already see where this is going. A few examples: Lewisham council says it still doesn’t have a final figure for the amount of devolved ILF funding it will get from government (Lewisham sent its response today). Sunderland only found out how much it would get a week before the ILF closed and only began to assess ILF recipients to figure out their future care needs and costs on 1 July. Some councils haven’t yet assessed the former ILF recipients that they’re now responsible for and some have only assessed a few. Nobody has any idea if they’ll get any money after 2016 (the government has said only the ILF money will be devolved to councils for a year). And I got an intriguing response today from Barking and Dagenham council in response to a question about the council’s expectations re: its ability to fund care for ILF recipients in an ongoing way.
I asked: “Does the authority expect to be able to meet the care costs of all ILF recipients to the same level as ILF funding?”
“No,” said the council.
Always interesting to get a straight reply from a local authority. It was certainly a straighter answer than Tomlinson gave in his highly misleading, disingenuous, whiny letter.
Anyway. There we are. More as responses come in.
Video: disabled protestors occupy parliament on 24 June in protest at the closure of the Independent Living Fund:
As I’ve said before Kate, care plans were slashed around the country when the cons were last in, and they just do not offer the same kind of support as those on the ILF scheme.
To say that these people will receive the same kind of support then is an absolute lie since they will be subjected to the same level of ‘support’ as every other disabled person receives who are on standard care plans.
Where it really hits is with regard to transport, hours for accompanying out, and activities, along with the usual household things that you may need help with. These plans are ‘micro managed’ to the extreme, with reams of petty little rules over things that can’t be done. For example, I fought for laundry to still be a part of that, but they classed the ironing as ‘cleaning’. They reclassify things so as to avoid funding them.
I have heard that some are having their care plans fully met by some local authorities, which must be a great relief. Keep in mind though, that local authorities will likely expect further cuts, and it will only be a matter of time before those comprehensive care plans will be cut like the others.
Re the last paragraph of the previous comment – my son has yet to have his assessment. He said this – that even if he gets through it, each year there will be even tighter restrictions. So there will never be any peace. That makes me so sad. So lets NEVER give those responsible for all of this pain any peace either – until we win.
Re the concept of local authorities ‘doing it better’ than central government for disabled people, there is this comment from Camden New Journal with link to accompanying case study. New Journal Comment: Whatever happened to compassion for the disabled?
Plight of petrified woman: Repay £800 benefits
Ellen Clifford writes in the Morning Star: “Assisted Dying Bills are pitched as humane but instead highlight disabled people’s lack of choice”
Pingback: Justin Tomlinson talking shit on the Independent Living Fund #saveILF – DPAC