Anger over disability benefit rule changes

People with learning disabilities and their supporters are to target MPs and general election candidates over “alarming and unexpected” changes to a crucial benefit.

The rule change means that from the end of this month only people who work at least 16 hours a week will be able to access the Independent Living Fund.

However, they will only be able to do so if they are already in receipt of a high level of support from social services for their disability or learning disability. Campaigners argue that this will exclude a large number of people from applying in future as those with the highest level of disability are the least likely to be working.

This is partly the intention, as the popular benefit has been heavily oversubscribed in recent years, putting pressure on funds which are capped at £360m, UK-wide.

The ILF was set up to give individuals support to help them live more successfully and independently in the community.

The new criteria will affect any future applications, as those already receiving ILF will continue to get it.

However the fund has admitted that the change will adversely affect those disabled people who are the worst off financially, including those with learning disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, and younger people.

The new criteria were announced as the Scottish Government was preparing to launch a consultation on its own Self-directed Support Bill. This talks repeatedly of the role of ILF in helping disabled people improve their lives. A number of Scottish councils have encouraged people with disabilities to make use of the benefit.

As benefits are a reserved issue, campaigners are to focus opposition to the changes on Westminster MPs and would-be MPs. Ian Hood, coordinator for the Learning Disability Alliance Scotland (Ldas) said: “The Independent Living Fund has supported thousands of disabled people to live better lives in the community for over 20 years.

“Traditionally it has supplemented local authority services to deepen and enrich the experience of the disabled people within the community. Now these changes will restrict it to a handful of working disabled people.”

Loretto Lambe, the director of Pamis, a charity which supports people with profound and multiple learning disabilities said that in future many such people would receive only a basic service, if anything at all. “The latest announcement is both alarming and unexpected for the people that we support,” she said.

“This move is all the more alarming, given the high profile and priority that Individualised Budgets and Self Directed Support have been given by the Scottish Government as a way of offering disabled people more choice, flexibility and control over their lives.”

Mr Hood said the decision would have long-term benefits for social care funding in Scotland, with money saved unlikely to be transferred back to Scottish budgets: “We are going to be approaching current MPs and those standing as candidates to see whether they will oppose this change.”