Govt Killing Independent Living Fund - back to bed for disabled people

In among all the benefit changes I hadn't spotted the ending of ILF ,until I saw that disabled campaigners lost their high court case yesterday, and the ILF is permanently closed to new applicants.

The funding enables a severely disabled person to employ personal carers directly. it is a DWP top-up to local authority- funded support, and is needs-based for the most profoundly disabled people.  Without it many more would have to live in very expensive residential care - surely at greater public expense, or they remain dependent on family; but either way losing their liberty to work, to socialise and basically control their own lives. Here is what the ILF mean to Martyn Sibley and Mary Laver, and Jenny Morris's explanation of the history of he ILF.

The late Steve Cribb was a pioneer of ILF in the late 80s. Initially he managed to wangle his benefits with the help of Hounslow Council so the funding for all his care needs were paid directly to him - a radical idea which stretched the rules at the time. Directly employing the two carers he needed for daily living and getting around, meant he could move into his own flat, and be an active, and effective, Councillor. He campaigned nationally to see ILF becoming a mainstream benefit, and knowing Steve, he would be deeply angered to see the Coalition government rolling back his legacy, especially as he was a Lib Dem.

Good luck to the five people taking the appeal on behalf of the 20,000 people whose independence is possible through the ILF.

Back to Cathy Come Home?

A young woman living locally contacted me recently needing help to get re-housed, but the outlook doesn't look good for her right now.  She lives in a room in a large house with her toddler, and shares the bathroom, toilet and kitchen with 8 adult strangers, having left a violent relationship with the child's father.  Unless her child is fast asleep, she has to take him with her whenever she needs to use the loo, the shower or the kitchen.  There is no playspace.  She is band C which means effectively there is no chance of a Council or Housing Association home coming available for many years.  If her landlord evicted her she could spend some time in BandB which is as bad as her bedsit, then years of temporary housing - ie expensive private rental with no choice about where she lives.  At least her current home is near family support.

Three or four years ago she would have had hope of a decent affordable home but the rate at which demand now outstrips supply in west London, this is impossible.  And this is despite the high rate of Council and Housing Association homes being built in our borough - we will have achieved our pledge of 2500 new affordable homes by 2014 - but to keep up with demand we should be building meany thousands more.

Brompton - of Brentford

Brompton Bicycles are one of Britain's current manufacturing successes. They build 36,000 bikes a year from their factory unit just off the A4 in Brentford, and expect to triple that output in the next 5 years given the current levels of demand which always outstrip supply.   I went along with Hounslow's senior planning and regeneration officer Heather Cheesbrough recently to understand their future plans.

Brompton employ local people, many in skilled jobs such as brazing, and they encourage staff to cycle to work.  Although Brompton's  aren't cheap,  they are brilliantly engineered, and provide exactly the transport solution for commuters the world over.  They want to stay local, and I am doing what I can to ensure they do.