Independent Living Fund Closure Confirmed
A fund to help disabled people live independently is to close, the Government has confirmed.
Work and Pensions Minister Esther McVey said the Independent Living Fund was “unsustainable”, telling MPs she understood the “anxiety” of disabled people who received direct payments from the scheme.
In a written ministerial statement, she said the Government had received about 2,000 responses to its consultation on the future of the fund but had decided to close it nevertheless.
The Government will continue to honour current payments until 2015. From then, responsibility for funding will pass to local authorities, she said.
Ms McVey told MPs: “We have considered all views carefully and, while I do understand user concerns, I do not think the current situation is sustainable.”
Same Difference 