Historic Ruling for Disability Campaigners

A group of five disabled campaigners have triumphed by overruling a government decision to scrap the £320 million Independent Living Fund (ILF).

ILF supports nearly 20,000 disabled people and helps them live independently.  The fund helps pay for carers and personal assistants for people who need them due to reducedmobility.  It can also be used to pay agencies to provide personal care and carry out valuable domestic tasks around the home, without which many would not cope.

The campaigners, united by their fear that the loss of ILF support would force them into residential care, decided to take matters into their own hands.

Catastrophic Results

The group believes that a loss of funding could have catastrophic results for those that depend on it.  Challenging the decision to scrap the funding in court, a unanimous verdict was reached by judges that the cuts were ‘unlawful’.  The court was told that the removal of the Independent Living Fund would have a detrimental effect on those who relied on it, forcing many into residential care and compromising their right to live with dignity.

Campaigning Against Cuts

Campaigner, Stuart Bracking, suffers from Muscular Dystrophy and says the ILF is the only way many disabled people can maintain an active life.  He comments: “For 25 years the fund has kept thousands of people out of residential care and allowed people to build careers, a family life and be an active part of the community.  If it closes, then many people will lose their right to live in their community and their life chances will be limited.”

Another of the five campaigners, Gabriel Pepper, who suffers from visual impairment and coordination issues as a result of a brain tumour, is committed to fighting against government cuts.  He says: “This is an important and historic ruling.  I’m going to continue campaigning to save the welfare state, but there’s still a long way to go.”