Independent Living Fund closes

The Independent Living Fund (ILF) - which provides money to help people with disabilities live an independent life in the community - closes today (30 June 2015) (it has been closed to new applicants since 2010).

Funding will be incorporated into local social care arrangements through local councils in England and the devolved governments in Wales and Scotland will make their own arrangements.

People who already have ILF care packages will have to transfer to new local arrangements.

Further information

If you are an ILF user, you should have had a face to face visit with an assessor, and where possible, a representative of your local authority.

The Gov.UK website has transfer guides for Independent Living Fund claimants in England, Scotland and Wales available on the Gov.UK website.

The 600 users in Northern Ireland will have their arrangements made through the Scottish scheme.

If you need advice, you can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local adviser.

Your local council should also be able to advise further. You can use the Local council finder on the Gov.UK website to find the contact details for your council.

Sources:
Gov.UK transfer guides as listed above
BBC News blog post: Independent Living Fund: What's going to happen now?
Northern Ireland Executive press release: Hamilton proposes new arrangements for recipients of the Independent Living Fund