MIKE HEDGES WELCOMES WALES gOVERNMENTS ANNOUNCMENT TO REPLACE axed UK
Independent Living Fund
A new £20 million fund from the Welsh Labour
Government to support more than 1,600 disabled people in Wales with their care
needs has come into operation, following the closure of the Independent Living
Fund (ILF) by the Tory UK Government.
Mike said ‘this is good news for disabled people
and their carers as the Independent Living Fund makes life easier for disabled
people and those who care for them. Losing this money would have meant great
hardship for these people; I commend the Welsh Government for their actions in
replacing this fund following the callous decision of the Government in
Westminster to withdraw the scheme.’
The Tory UK Government’s decision to close the ILF has
caused anxiety among those who receive support and their carers.
Thanks to action by the Welsh Labour, disabled people with significant care
needs will now receive direct cash payments from local authorities to help meet
the cost of the care and support they need.
Until Tuesday June 30, when the ILF closed,
people received weekly ILF payments to pay for a range of care and support,
including help with eating and drinking, cooking, dressing, cleaning and other
domestic duties. 1,648 people received ILF payments in Wales.
The new grant scheme will be delivered by local
authorities and will run until the end of March 2017. It was set up following a
public consultation by the Welsh Government last year.
Funding of £20.4m has been ring-fenced for the
scheme for July 2015 to the end of March 2016, which is based on the number of
people receiving ILF when the current scheme closed on June 30.
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