The demise of ILF ?

It has been posted on the ILF’s website that to ‘protect’ existing service users there will be no new applications to ILF accepted this year. There will also be no additional funds for existing users other than ensure that NMW requirements are made.

Full details can be read at http://www.ilf.org.uk/news/new/ilf_protect_users_awards_to_manage_within_funding/index.html

ILF are still currently undertaking a consultation excercise so it may be useful if we all make our views clear to ILF and our local MPs

New applications will be accepted from those working 16 hours or more a week.

No. The have suspended ALL applications including those working 16 hours or more

Then are we about to witness the demise of the ILF?

Well the current state of play is that all 21,000 customers will be ‘protected’ - they will receive no additional funding or hours from ILF (other than sensuring NMW) and that no new applications will be accepted until the consultation is complete at the end of the year.

I would be cynical if I were to say that the results of the consultation are easy to predict. Hopefully this will get some media coverage and the large diability organisations will have a conserted campaign about this.

I may being premature, but the signs are that significant cuts to benefits will be announced tomorrow. 

The disability benefits bill appears to be large and ever growing, so it appears to have lots of low hanging fruit for politicians out to trim back the state.  Doubtless DWP officials will be suggesting DLA as a possible target.

There are also obvious inconsistencies - where is the logic in paying an unemployed 24 year old who lives alone £51.85 a week, but a single disabled 24 year old living alone may have a disposable income of £192.85 pw (ESA with WRAC + SDP + mrc DLA), nearly four times as much - I’m not arguing for cuts in such cases because social justice and social inclusion demand that decent benefit levels are paid, but you can see how a cuts minded politician might view this.

The previous government’s constant drip feed of negative coverage about benefits and benefit claimants (eg continual advertising about fraud, encouraging TV coverage of fraud cases, comments about “languishing” and “welfare dependency”) have shifted public opinion to the extent that surveys now show that most people in the UK believe that most claimants are worthless fiddlers, thus lubricating the benefits cuts agenda.

I think we are now at the stage where we need a concerted and coordinated effort to make the positive case for social security.  There is a risk in just lobbying about individual benefits (particularly minority ones like ILF) that we win a few skirmishes but lose the war.

That’s not to belittle the importance of ILF, but we need to be strategic in how we deal with Boy George, Danny Boy, Nick and Dave.

neilbateman - 21 June 2010 10:14 AM

I think we are now at the stage where we need a concerted and coordinated effort to make the positive case for social security.  There is a risk in just lobbying about individual benefits (particularly minority ones like ILF) that we win a few skirmishes but lose the war.

I agree.

I also think, if we’re going to win the hearts and minds battle, that we need to be focused about our aims.  We cannot afford to present ‘our clients right or wrong’ when, in some cases, that clearly isn’t justified or just.