Removing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) mobility component from people living in residential care will have a huge and regressive impact on the independence of thousands of disabled people.
The resulting savings of £160 million are relatively small in contrast to the total of £81 billion in spending cuts the Government plans to make by 2014/15. However, the impact on the 80,000 disabled people to be affected will be massive, with many left unable to afford to leave their home and denied the independence most people take for granted.
Many people living in residential care have all their income taken to pay for their care, and are left with just the £22 per week Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA) to cover all personal costs, such as clothes, toiletries and phone bills, and DLA mobility component to meet mobility needs. Without DLA mobility component, the PEA is not enough to cover additional mobility costs and people will be left without the money to meet basic mobility needs.
The removal of DLA mobility component from people living in residential care is based on an assumption of "double funding". However, local authorities are not currently meeting mobility costs and rather than removing “an overlap of public funds" as the Government has stated, this measure will simply transfer costs to already stretched local authorities or will leave people without the vital support that they need for independent mobility.
We want to see DLA mobility component retained for everyone living in residential care and are calling on the Government to act to ensure that disabled people are not denied their independence.
More information
PDF version The mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) provides vital support for disabled people living in residential care - support that is being threatened by the government's proposed cuts.
The DLA mobility component helps meet some of the extra costs disabled people can face getting around. Without assistance for extra costs, such as electric wheelchairs, mobility aids and taxis where there is no accessible public transport, people face being trapped at home.
Leading disability organisations are joining forces and calling for the government to keep the DLA mobility component for people in residential care.
Launch of 'Don't limit mobility' report
Mencap, alongside 26 other charities and organisations, have launched a report to dispute the government's argument that the mobility component of the DLA is an ‘overlap of public funds'.
- You can download a copy of the report here.
How you can support our campaign
Everyone can support our campaign. We are asking you to:
Or download a printed version from the further information and resources box below.
Say no to the DLA Mobility Cut
12 January 2011
Today Radar and other 26 organisations have published a report 'Don't limit mobility' that challenges the government’s arguments that the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) mobility component for people in state-funded residential care is an ‘overlap of public funds’.
The Comprehensive Spending Review announced the government’s proposal to remove the mobility component of DLA for people who live in residential care. This will impact an estimated 80,000 people. Today’s report has gathered evidence from both service providers and residents of care homes who will be affected by the change.
Liz SayceOBE, Radar’s chief executive, said:
"We strongly refute this cruellest cut that traps 1,000s of disabled people within the walls of their home and deprives them of their fundamental rights to freedom and family life. We have demonstrated that taking away the DLA mobility will have a horrific impact on the quality of many lives - disabled people and their families. Now the Government must listen to us and withdraw this proposal."
For further information please contact Marije Davidson, Radar Public Affairs Manager, RADAR on 07880 921 743 or marije.davidson@radar.org.uk
Worried about the proposal to remove the DLA mobility from people living or staying long-term in residential care?
Take Action Now:
1. Tell us how this will affect you – email campaigns@radar.org.uk. We will use the information in our campaign (anonymously if you prefer). Click here to read Mrs King's Story
2. Send an email to your MP through Mencap: Email your MP (this is for all people with any impairment or health condition and their supporters).
On Monday 1 November Baroness Campbell raised her case in the House of Lords: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/101101-0002.htm
Radar and 26 other organisations have published a report 'Don't limit mobility' that challenges the government’s arguments that the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) mobility component for people in state-funded residential care is an ‘overlap of public funds’. Click here to read the press release and click here to read the report in full.
The government’s justification for cutting a vital benefit from disabled people in residential care is “a myth”, according to a coalition of charities.
The government claims removing the mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA) from an estimated 80,000 people in residential care – announced in October’s spending review – is justified because of an “overlap of public funds”.
It says people in residential care should already have all their needs provided for through the support packages bought by local authorities, and so do not need the extra funds provided by the mobility component.
But a coalition of 27 voluntary organisations – including the National Centre for Independent Living, RADAR, Disability Alliance and the Learning Disability Coalition – says new evidence they have collected destroys this argument.
In a new report, Don’t Limit Mobility – endorsed by social services directors and sent to MPs – the coalition warns that going ahead with the plan would “significantly restrict the ability of those in residential care to play an active role in their local community, be independent and maintain relationships with family and friends”.
According to its research, councils usually provide just “basic care” and do not factor in “the costs of individuals’ personal mobility or transport costs associated with visiting friends and family, going shopping or accessing local community and leisure facilities”.
A survey of 22 social care providers found not one of them received a council contribution towards the costs of such personal transport needs.
And in another survey for the report, all 100 disabled care home residents who took part said they needed their mobility component to “get out and about”.
More than 80 per cent who answered the question said cutting the mobility component would mean they would see much less of their friends and family.
Steven Colley, a care home resident from Essex, who uses his DLA to pay for a car through the Motability scheme, said: “I have freedom because of my mobility car to do what other people can do.”
The report says its new evidence proves councils are not meeting the mobility costs of people in residential care, despite the government’s claims.
Removing the mobility component, it says, would “simply transfer costs to already-stretched local authorities or will leave people without the vital support that they need”.
Without their DLA, the report says, many disabled people would be left with just £22 a week to cover all their personal costs, which would not be enough to meet their mobility needs.
Removing this leaves us with #22 to live on.
Yet unemployment benefit rules dictate that at least #55 is
needed to survive.
That means survive - not trips to the shops to get the food to survive.
This governament should have let the banks fail and put the money to ordinary folk to spend and revive the economy. NOT give it to the banks for more bonuses.
Their threats to go abroad are welcomed. We need people loyal to this country, not a load of spivs. Chuck them out because disabled people could do their jobs of gambling on stockmarkets.
People living in carehomes contribute to the big society too - provided they have transport to get there!
This is a disgrace.
The removal of DLA/PIP mobility component from people living in state-funded residential care
31 March 2011
To date the Government has presented eight different arguments for removing the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), soon to become Personal Independence Payment (PIP), from people living in residential care.
This report deals with each of these arguments and calls on the Government to keep DLA/PIP mobility for people living in residential care.
More information
'Service users should get direct payments for residential care'
Restrictions on giving service users direct payments to buy long-term residential care should be abolished to increase choice and control, today's Law Commission report on the reform of adult social care law has proposed.
The commission said the reform would enable users to have greater choice over accommodation, while also bringing residential services into line with non-residential care.
The UK government has previously opposed the idea but the commission has said that it is now more open-minded on the issue.
The plan drew a mixed response from sector leaders, however, who voiced concerns over whether direct payments would be of sufficient value for service users to purchase the accommodation they wanted.
"Care homes have been left out of the loop too long," said Caroline Bernard, deputy chief executive of Counsel and Care. "Our concern would be, 'Will the budgets be sufficient?'," she added.
There are also fears that direct payment users will face higher bills for residential care without the backing of local authorities' power to depress prices in the care home market by purchasing in bulk.
"There are particular problems because residential homes routinely charge self-funders more than local authority residents," said Stephen Lowe, social care policy adviser at Age UK.
But Sheila Scott, chief executive of the National Care Association, rejected this concern, saying that direct payments should be sufficient to meet people's assessed needs. However, she said, some families may decide to top up personal budgets to afford the care home they want, as is currently the case without direct payments.
The Law Commission said it did not think the reform would lead to prices going up.
"Local councils will still be very important purchasers of residential care," said Frances Patterson, commissioner at the Law Commission. "But rather than direct control via block or spot contracting, they will exercise control by limiting the amount of money available in the form of a direct payment to a reasonable sum."
There are details to be worked out to make the scheme effective.
For instance, direct payments currently cover care costs and not the accommodation costs that councils also pay to residential care providers.
"Somehow or other we have to find a way to pay for their board costs as well because, if a personal budget pays for care, who pays for housing or hotel costs?" asked Scott.
Sarah Pickup, vice-president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, said most councils' systems allowed them to top up someone's allocated personal budget to include hotel costs, but this meant the decision to go into residential care had been made, meaning there would often be little point in a direct payment.
Julie Stansfield, chief executive of In Control, the charity that has pioneered personalisation, said direct payments would only work if there was comprehensive support available for care home residents, a more vulnerable group than those in the community.
"In the current environment we have some concerns as to whether local authorities will prioritise the support arrangements necessary for this to be effective and genuinely empowering," she said.
Detailed analysis on what the Law Commission's proposals mean for social care professionals will be on communitycare.co.uk from 11.30am
Related articles
Biggest shake-up in adult care law in 60 years proposed
Law Commission reassures over future of adult care duties
Social workers may gain power of entry in adult abuse cases
Law Commission to draft new adult social care law
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2011/05/11/116778/service-users-...
Leading disability organisations are joining forces and calling for the Government to keep Disability Living Allowance mobility component for people in residential care.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) mobility component helps meet some of the extra costs disabled people can face getting around, for example, taxis (where there is no accessible public transport), electric wheelchairs and mobility aids. However, the Government plans to stop paying DLA mobility to people living in residential care and this will mean that many people will no longer have the money to meet these extra costs and face being trapped at home.
Help us to campaign against this cut by signing our petition at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/dbcdla
http://www.disabilityalliance.org/dbcmobility2.htm