The Work and Pensions Secretary will not be challenging a court ruling which halted his proposal to scrap the Independent Living Fund
Iain Duncan Smith has been forced to abandon his plans to cut help for disabled people.
In a humiliating U-turn, the Work and Pensions Secretary said he would not be challenging a court ruling which declared his proposal to axe the Independent Living Fund to be illegal.
The Court of Appeal said there was no evidence the Department for Work and Pensions had considered properly “the potentially very grave impact” for the severely disabled people who rely on the fund.
Some 20,000 people rely on the Fund, worth about £300 a week on average, to live independent lives.
Ministers had wanted to scrap the £260million fund and transfer responsibility to local councils.
But the court said the Government had not complied with the Equality Act requiring them to consider the impact of their reforms before introducing them.
In a statement, the group Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC) said: “We all owe a great debt of gratitude to the five ILF users that took this to the courts and the solicitors and barristers who worked tirelessly, as well as all those involved in the research processes, and in supporting this.
"It has proved that disabled people can and will fight back, it has proved that disabled people can win.
“DPAC want to thank all that supported this. We want to say to those organisations that didn’t, or which claimed nothing would change, if you do not fight back now at a time of massive and savage cuts maybe its unlikely that you ever will, in which case you can no longer speak in the name of disabled people. There is one voice and that is the voice of people at the grass roots who appear to be fighting everything without you.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said: “In light of the guidance provided by the Court of Appeal this week, Ministers will be invited to make a new decision on the future of the Independent Living Fund based on further advice.
“This Government is absolutely committed to supporting disabled people and we continue to spend around £50billion a year on disabled people and their services”.
Mirror
