Update 2 September: Mirror story now out on this care cut: This disabled man has lost HALF his care after Tories axed the Independent Living Fund.

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Original post 1 September 2015:

Disabled campaigners and supporters will hold a protest today at Waltham Forest Town Hall in support of former Independent Living Fund recipient Gabriel Pepper, who is facing a substantial cut to his care package now that the ILF is closed. The ILF used to pay for some of Gabriel’s care. Now, Gabriel must rely entirely on Waltham Forest council to pay for his care package – a package that will be cut by about 48%.

So much for government claims that councils could and would meet disabled people’s care needs when the Independent Living Fund closed. “All disabled people, including those transferring from the ILF, will continue to be protected by a safety net that guarantees disabled people get the support they need,” Cameron’s last government waffled in 2014 when then-Minister for Disabled People Mike Penning announced again that the ILF would close. (I say “again” because the courts had recently thrown out a previous government decision to close the ILF. Undeterred, that government returned in March 2014 to say again that it would close the fund).

Obviously, Penning was talking rot. We all knew that, but still.

The protest about the cut to Gabriel’s care package will take place from:

12pm to 2pm
Waltham Forest Town Hall
701 Forest Rd
Walthamstow
E17 4J

All support appreciated.

Here’s Gabriel discussing his disability and the reasons why he needed the ILF to pay for extra carer hours:

Update: 5pm.

Tweets from Penny Pepper at the protest today:

Here we are Walthamstow, protest over sickening cut to social care please share @Dis_PPL_Protest #gabrielcruelcut pic.twitter.com/yUyA7poMlu

— Penny Pepper (@PenPep) September 1, 2015

Press at the Walthamstow Town Hall protest now. #grabrielcruelcut @Dis_PPL_Protest @hangbitch pic.twitter.com/SKzqqtjMT2 — Penny Pepper (@PenPep) September 1, 2015