The Guardian looks into the effect on the care packages of disabled people, who previously got help under the Independent Living Fund (ILF).
The article refers to Disability Rights UK research which suggested that only 29 councils in England would ensure this non-ringfenced funding from government would be specifically allocated to ex-ILF users. We also provided case studies for the article.
“We feared ILF money would go into a general local authority pot and people would have care packages cut,” says its deputy chief executive, Sue Bott. She estimates that over 120 English councils have simply absorbed the money from the ILF into their hard-pressed social care budgets. In Waltham Forest, east London, a freedom of information request by Inclusion London showed 53 out of 60 ex-ILF users have had their social care support cut since the fund’s closure.