The Government has launched a public consultation on the future of the Independent Living Fund (ILF), which provides financial support to 20,000 disabled people in the UK who have high support and complex needs.
The consultation was announced on 12 July 2012 by Maria Miller MP, the Minister for Disabled People.
The DWP is inviting views from ILF users, their carers, families, local authorities and other interested parties. The proposal is to close the ILF in 2015 and meet the care and support needs of users in a single care and support system, administered by local authorities.
The Government will consider the ILF's future alongside wider changes proposed in the Department of Health's ‘Caring for our future: reforming care and support' White Paper.
The ILF consultation is open until 10 October 2012 and is on the DWP website.
Thanks Tony. All depends I suppose if the government will provide the funding to local councils not to mention how said councils are permitted to assess those in need. Hard to tell if the ILF will cease to exist as a stand-alone with the councils or be absorbed into some ‘universal credit’-like payment system.