In response today’s announcement, regarding the five disabled people who have succeeded in their legal challenge against the government’s decision to abolish the Independent Living Fund (ILF), Stephen Springer MBE- Head of Service User Involvement at the UK’s largest Christian disability charity, Livability and who is a wheelchair user, said:
“As someone who has benefited from the Independent Living Fund over the past 21 years, I welcome this decision as it will hopefully allow the fund to continue.
The fund is an effective and valuable service that offers disabled people a true choice over how they manage their lives in a manner that local authority managementcould never achieve.
I believe the Independent Living fund has become a victim of its own success because of the level of freedom it offers for disabled people. And in actual fact, ILF proves to be more cost effective than local authority provision. It should have been extended not abolished.
I would like to express my gratitude to the five people who made the legal challenge and I hope today’s decision will see the fund reinstated with immediate effect. ”
Livability, 6 Mitre Passage, London SE10 0ER.
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