Independent living fund cut by local authorities

Last year the government closed its Independent Living Fund, which had been set up to support severely disabled people to live independently, rather than in residential care. Responsibility - and money - was transferred to local authorities in England. And this programme has now discovered that 80 per cent have cut the funding for disabled people. Our Social Affairs Editor, Jackie Long, has this exclusive report.

[@foxylady9110]

As if a disabled person doesn't have enough problems without made to feel their an annoying problem.

[@laetitialogan2131]

Shocking...just unbelievable...

[@josephinewinter]

'can't afford it' but just gave huge tax cuts to corporations, top 5% and all bank deposits - millions even billions of pounds. Equality is a right not luxury

[@matbroomfield]

"Equality is a right not luxury"
Absolutely not, not even in the most communist regimes that ever existed.
You're certainly right that helping the wealthy more than the poor is unreasonable, but the wealthy ALREADY paid massively more tax. Even with these cuts, assuming they paid their tax without all of the loopholes, they pay a far higher percentage than the rest of us.

[@nocucksinkekistan7321]

Good, corporations create jobs and drive the economy. Taxes to pay for the disabled are a violation of basic human rights.

[@amyheeley6232]

hi

[@matbroomfield]

This is just a way for central government to abrogate the blame. That said, with children, let alone adults dying due to lack of medical treatment, due to limited budgets, complaining that you cannot receive 24 hour a day care whilst you go out and do your vanity job that repays 10% of the cost of getting you to it is perhaps a little myopic. I have great sympathy for their desire to maintain quality of life, but what bottomless pool of moneyt do they think finances their needs?

[@matbroomfield]

I realise that it's unsettling to face the realities of life - that there are too many needs and not enough resources. I know in your world every child gets their own pony and disabled people all get 24/7 care from their own personal assistants. Sadly in the real world, grown ups are having to make tough decisions about how to allocate limited resources. Perhaps one day you'll be faced with making the choice between saving lives or improving them, then you'll see things with more maturity.

[@wolfytype]

you are sadly mistaken maybe one day you will see it, i doubt it very much,have happy pain free life my friend, i just cant be bothered getting angry at people like you anymore

[@matbroomfield]

I ask you for one second, to put yourself in the place of the person tasked with allocating resources. You have a disabled person who will require 95% of your funding, or you can divide it between hospitals, geriatric care, unemployment benefit, schools, and a wealth of other social needs. How would YOU allocate the resources?
It's not that I am not extremely sympathetic to your situation, but the prosaic needs of reality does not cease simply because life is unfair or people are suffering. 100 years ago, you would have been the total responsibility of your family, in another 100, when the welfare system collapses under the weight of demands placed upon it, the disabled will once again fall to those nearest to them to care for. There is no cosmic right for society to support those unable to support themselves, much as you may have been educated to think there is.

[@jahnaroth669]

Mat Broomfield I have your counterpart here and you are extremely dangerous, sure hope ya don't become disabled with no family support. Sure hope ya don't.

[@desbest4]

@@matbroomfield I disagree with abolishing welfare or benefits