With just over three weeks to go before the closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF), soap stars and disabled campaigners have launched a new petition to defend disabled people’s right to independent living. The petition hosted by 38 degrees includes a film featuring the cast of Coronation Street and disabled actors Lisa Hammond (Eastenders) and Liz Carr (BBC Silent Witness) along with ILF recipients themselves.
The ILF was set up in 1988 to provide support to disabled people with the highest support needs to live in the community. Since then it has enabled thousands of disabled people to live full and meaningful lives, able to contribute to society and participate through education, employment, volunteering and taking on caring roles within their own families. ILF recipients employ teams of Personal Assistants thereby contributing to their local economies.
At a time when the wider social care system is in crisis, the ILF works extremely effectively with high satisfaction rates and excellent value for money (1). It seems nonsensical then that the government is planning to permanently close the ILF from June 30 2015 and transfer responsibility to struggling cash strapped local authorities (2). A high court ruling last year about the decision to close the fund referred to “the inevitable and considerable adverse effect” this would have on disabled people and how “independent living might well be put seriously in peril for… most (or a substantial number of) ILF users” (3).
The petition calls on David Cameron to over-turn the decision to close the Independent Living Fund which was taken without a vote in Parliament, or to at the very least ringfence monies devolved to local authorities specifically for the needs of ILF recipients and social care. Whereas the government’s of Scotland and Northern Ireland have committed to create their own versions of the ILF, and the Welsh government has said it will put money aside to help recipients for 9 months, disabled people currently receiving the ILF in England will be left unprotected.
Cherylee Houston who plays Izzy Armstrong in Coronation Street and who has been the driving force behind the petition said: “I had to speak up, I realised I have a voice and I couldn’t stand by and let this happen to my community. I remember when I first became disabled I researched our history – the Independent Living Fund was the thing which allowed us to live in and contribute to the community; without this we are going back to where disabled people were ‘locked up’, it makes me want to weep – we’ve fought so hard for equality and how can anyone take away another human being’s independence? Please please help us not going backwards, we’re the section of society who has a smaller voice than the rest of you – we need help to make that voice stronger – please don’t stand by whilst it’s smothered.”
To sign the petition go to: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/defend-disabled-people-s-right-to-independent-living
The campaign Disabled People Against Cuts has called a lobby of Parliament for 24th June for a final call on Parliament to reverse the closure. For more details go to: www.dpac.uk.net/2015/06/SaveILF-lobby-Wednesday-24th-June-London/
For more information contact:
Ellen Clifford
07505144371
Ellen.clifford@inclusionlondon.co.uk
Notes for editors
- The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has warned that Councils in England are facing a £1.1bn shortfall this year, on top of “almost unendurable” cuts since 2010: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32997697
- The full judgment can be read here: https://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2014/4134.html&query=title+(+aspinall+)&method=boolean
- For information on what is planned in the devolved administrations:
Justice for drivers with disabilities.