Sue Bott submits Ideal for All petition

Sue Bott from Disability Rights UK who have been supporting Ideal for All in their campaign to stop cuts to their independent living centre, hands over the petition to Sandwell’s Director of Social Care David Stephens

Ideal for All (IFA), disabled people’s charity in Sandwell, could be forced to close its doors as early as October 2013 to disabled people due to severe cuts in support services by Sandwell Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group(CCG).  Overall IFA is facing a 75% cut in core funding due to the action of SMBC and CCG.  

Protestors handed a petition with 6302 names to council chiefs protesting against the cut in funding. The cuts mean that 50 employees, many of whom are disabled, could lose their jobs. Last year IFA dealt with more than 33,000 calls and visits requesting help.

Sue Bott, director of policy at Disability Rights UK said:

"Ideal for All in Sandwell is one of the country’s finest examples of what can be achieved when disabled people are supported to lead their organisations and empowered to decide how they want to live their lives. “We have been closely watching the developments in Sandwell and call Sandwell Council and CCG to review their decision as it could become a national case study.”

For more information see our Ideal for All closure press release.

See also the Halesowen news article Disabled rights protestors besiege Sandwell Council house.