Closure of ILF 

There is a petition on http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/24368 and I am urging all disabled people to sign it. This government are determined to destroy the hard won rights of disabled people in UK.  

Thousands of disabled people rely on funding from the Independent Living Fund and have been left shocked and extremely anxious since it was announced in 2010 that it would be closed down by government in 2015. Already it is closed to new applicants with no mechanisms in place to monitor the impact of this on the lives of those who would previously have qualified for such funding.

The Independent Living Fund is a ring fenced resource, for a priority group of disabled people with high support needs that can provide a better lifestyle and outcomes for service users whose full needs would not be met by local authority funding.

The LA's have had their resources severely reduced and therefore now only provide basic personal care. Without this extra funding ILF user's only options will be placement in residential care or more responsibilities on already over stretched family carers, that's if the disabled person has family support.

Either option will have huge cost implications to government as residential care costs far more than assisting a disabled person to stay in the community and family carers would have to leave employment and manage on very low Carers Allowance and other benefits.

Since  2010 the Minister for Disabled people, Maria Miller, has assured users we would be consulted with initially in 2010 then delayed to early 2011, but we have heard nothing since.

Leaving severely disabled people in such anxiety over their lives is violating our human rights to be involved in decisions that may affect us and indicates a total ignorance of how important this funding is for severely disabled people to live with some quality of life.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in particular;

Article 19: "Living independently and being included in the community", states that "disabled people have a right to live in the community; with the support they need and can make choices like other people do".

It also says they should be included in things that other people in the community do. Countries, like the UK, who agree to the rights, have to make this happen. Two of the things they must do are:

Make sure that disabled people get the help they need to live in the community, this means things like getting personal assistance

Make sure that disabled people can choose to do things in the community along with other people

Article 4 states; the general obligation on government to consult with disabled people, before not after decisions or policies are changed.

Article 17 states; we are to be treated with inherent dignity

Artilce 15; we are to have freedom from degrading treatment

In addition, the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) states that we have the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the right to an adequate standard of living.

The UK has a duty to work progressively, to the maximum extent of its available resources, to deliver these rights even in a period of economic downturn.

The changes in the ILF priority system have obvious implications for the UK's chances of meeting all such obligations, in terms of the resources available to do so as well as in the actual delivery of them e.g. ILF offers disabled people the flexibility to "choose to do things in the community".

We have heard ministers state that funding disabled people is ‘unsustainable' yet we see millions of pounds ‘found' to fund whatever programs the government finds politically appropriate yet not severely disabled people?

We ask that the government continues to provide care and support for those with the most complex needs via the ILF.

The Independent Living Fund must be retained and reopened to new applicants with adequate funding for this.

It should not be restricted to only those in employment as this means those who cannot sustain paid work, but can contribute to society in others ways, will be unable to participate in their communities, families or faith activities.

The funding must NOT be given to local authorities; it is meant to meet the needs of severely disabled people which means that there may be more in one region compared to another. Also the LA will use the funding as they wish, it will not be ring fenced, and we suspect it will not be directed appropriately for the particular disabled people it is meant for.

We wish to have input into the design of the consultation process and assurances that the 20,000 already in receipt of ILF will be assured of continued funding.

We the undersigned believe this lack of information, consultation and arbitrary decision to close the ILF without replacing this with appropriate ring fenced funding from elsewhere violates the Human Rights of disabled people who depend on ILF to live.

 

 

Anne Novis MBE, ILF user

Andrew Hardy, ILF user

Sue Elsegood - ILF user

Katherine Arienello - ILF user

Glynis Dawes - ILF user

Kevin Caulfield - ILF user

Gabrielle Pepper - ILF user

Ruth Bashall - ILF user

 

Jaspal Dhani CEO - United Kingdom Disabled peoples Council - UKDPC

Anne Pridmore - ILF user and director ‘Being the Boss'

Sheila Blair - ‘Being the Boss'

Theo Blackmore - Disability Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

Kaliya Franklin - Broken of Britain

Kisrten Hearne -  Chair ‘Inclusion London'

Tracey Liazard - CEO ‘Inclusion London'

Theo Harris - CEO  ‘Kensington Centre for Independent Living'

HAFCAC - Hammersmith and Fulham Coalition against community care cuts

Mary Cox - Age UK

 

Judith Bond

Gemma Novis - Carer

Fred Williams - excluded from ILF

 

Jon Staley - Support Worker & Trainer