Disability campaigners hail U-turn over plan to axe transport benefit

By Amelia Gentleman guardian.co.uk,

Government no longer planning to scrap mobility component of disability living allowance for 80,000 people in care homes

Louisa Spivack said the proposed DLA changes would have been devastating for her two autistic sons Danny, left, and Joel. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

Disability campaigners have welcomed a government U-turn on a decision to abolish a transport benefit for care home residents, which would have severely limited their ability to travel beyond the confines of the home.
The government triggered widespread outrage when it revealed in last year's spending review that it wanted to remove the mobility component of the disability living allowance (DLA) for about 80,000 disabled people living in care homes from 2012. It planned to save £160m by removing the £50-a-week benefit.
Disability charities were so shocked by the decision that they questioned whether ministers fully understood its significance. They have spent the past year lobbying the government, explaining that for recipients the benefit represents the difference between being institutionalised within a care home and being able to participate in society more widely, enabling them to travel outside to see family and friends.
After extensive consultation, the government announced on Thursday that it was no longer planning to introduce the measure.
"Our aims have always been to ensure not only protection of public funds but also that disabled people who live in residential care homes retain their independence and are not prevented from getting out and about," a statement from the Department for Work and Pensions said.
The ministry's belief that the funding duplicated money for transport provided direct to the care home, proved to be unfounded, the statement continued. "There was insufficient evidence of overlaps in funding provision to justify the withdrawal of the mobility component."
The decision comes after an independent review, conducted by Lord Low, concluded that removing the benefit would be "a serious step backwards for disability rights". The government said it would table an amendment to the welfare reform bill to withdraw the proposal to remove the allowance.
Louisa Spivack, who has two sons with severe autism living in a residential care home in Sussex, and who highlighted her concerns about the proposal in the Guardian , said she was relieved the government had reconsidered. "It would have been devastating for them. It would have made their lives extremely limited."
Clare Pelham, chief executive of Leonard Cheshire Disability, said: "We applaud the government for listening to the thousands of disabled people who have raised this issue and reversing the plan to scrap this vital benefit. This allowance is just so important for those who receive it – it can make the difference between being able to get out independently and being trapped inside."
Sarah Lambert, head of policy at the National Autistic Society, welcomed the decision but warned that other changes to disability benefits remained a serious concern. "This announcement may only represent a token reprieve for people with autism and other disabilities if substantial changes are not made to wider plans for welfare reform," she said.
"We have significant concerns that the new assessment process for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which will replace DLA, may fail to identify the needs of people with complex conditions such as autism. If the government does not heed these concerns, thousands of vulnerable people could be left without the support they depend on."
A report from Demos, commissioned by the charity Scope and published on Friday, warns that ongoing confusion over broader changes to the welfare system are helping push disabled people into poverty. "As benefit cuts bite, local services close and the cost of living rises, disabled people have reported they are struggling to make ends meet, cannot make sense of the situation, and are very uncertain about their future," it states.