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4 Nov 2011
John Adams, VODG general secretary

Disability, mobility, choice and control: the Low Review report

“It makes the difference between existing and having a life that’s worth living”. The crucial role of mobility payments for disabled people is laid bare in this powerful comment, submitted to the Low Review on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and personal mobility in state-funded residential care.

*The comment was part of the newly published 56-page report, Independence, Choice and Control, published in response to the government’s plans to stop paying the mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment (set to replace DLA, see second panel, below, ‘Disability Living Allowance and personal mobility’).

The review urges the government not to end mobility payments for disabled people living in residential care as it is these payments that enable people to exercise more independence, choice and control. Such issues are at the heart of VODG’s work and we were heavily involved in the steering group (see first panel, below, ‘The Low Review: who was involved and how did it work?’).

The Welfare Reform Bill gives government the power to stop mobility payments to people living in residential care; the cut will affect 78,000 people who receive the mobility component of DLA. The bill has gone through the Commons and is being debated in the House of Lords.

    The Low Review: who was involved and how did it work?

  • The review ran from Monday 18 July – Monday 10 October 2011
  • Leonard Cheshire Disability and Mencap acted as the secretariat
  • It received over 800 submissions from individuals, local authorities and providers, and held six oral evidence sessions
  • The Low Review began by asking disabled people what their mobility needs are. The answer was that their needs are the same as non-disabled people yet many face additional costs or need support to meet those needs
  • The Review explored the different forms this support could take from adapted vehicles, specialist wheelchairs or assistance from another person
  • The review included extensive written evidence, oral evidence sessions, wider policy analysis and site visits. It included evidence from individuals living in state-funded residential care and their families, care providers and local authorities all went into producing Lord Low’s review of the issue
  • The steering group included: John Adams: VODG general secretary; Dr Peter Kenway, director of the New Policy Institute; Gary Vaux, head of advice (benefits and work), Hertfordshire county council; Wendy Tiffin, a care home resident who will be affected if mobility payments are removed; Pauline Bardon, mother of a disabled teenager hoping to attend residential college in September 2012; Judith Geddes: co-chair of the Resources Network for the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.

Lord LowConcerns about the loss of the DLA mobility benefit led the government to start an internal review into personal mobility needs funding. However, fears that its review might not be transparent enough led VODG members Mencap and Leonard Cheshire Disability to ask Lord Low of Dalston to conduct an independent, public review. Over 800 submissions were made to the 12-week independent review into how the personal mobility needs of people living in state-funded residential care are met.

The publication of the Low Review report coincides with the Welfare Reform Bill entering committee stage in the Lords, marking the last chance for an amendment to secure the future of mobility payments for those in residential care.

Lord Low has written a powerful foreword to the report (PDF 78Kb) and argues that the threat to payments has touched a nerve with the disability community: “The issue is seen as iconic - a touchstone of the extent to which public policy is in sympathy with the sensibilities and aspirations of disabled people.”

Lord Low is clear about the adverse impact on disabled people unless the government protect mobility payments: “If payment of the mobility component to people living in residential care ends, this will be a serious step backwards for disability rights… What people stressed to the review is how fundamental mobility is in securing other key rights. It enables people to participate in their community, gain an education, and maintain a family life or work.”

The report makes important recommendations that should help ensure that disabled people exercise their right to mobility in the same way as non-disabled people and the key findings are:

  • The DLA mobility component (or its successor under PIP) should be retained
  • Its removal would lead to a loss of independence for disabled people
  • There is no evidence of a duplication of funding in relation to the mobility needs being met by local authorities and those being met by DLA mobility
  • There needs to be greater clarity of local authorities’ responsibilities for funding mobility needs and the role played by DLA mobility

    Disability Living Allowance and personal mobility

  • Personal mobility is the ability to get around. Disabled people can face additional costs associated with mobility. Someone may need to buy a mobility aid or pay for accessible transport. Some may not be able to travel independently or drive because and so rely on others for transport.
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA) was introduced in 1992 as a replacement for existing benefits providing support with the extra costs experienced by disabled people. It is paid in two components, the care component and the mobility component. The care component stops after 28 days when someone moves into state-funded residential care but they continue to be eligible for the mobility component. Both the care and mobility components stop after 28 days if someone is in hospital, unless self-funding.
  • The mobility component is paid at two different rates. For 2011/12 the lower rate is £19.55 per week and the higher rate is £51.40 per week.

It is worth noting that the mobility cut is predicted to save £160 million per year, but this saving is small in contrast to the total of £81 billion in spending cuts the Government plans to make by 2014/15. In addition, the impact on the 78,000 people to be affected will be massive, they will not be able to leave their homes and will be denied the independence most people take for granted.

As peers prepare to debate the Welfare Reform Bill, we hope they consider the review’s recommendations. We hope the proposal to remove the mobility benefit is not a fait accompli and decision-makers will take stock of the compelling evidence in the Low Review report. Last month, Maria Miller, minister for disabled people, said that of Lord Low’s Review that it is “sensible to reflect on the outcome of his important work in advance of our final decision.” We hope other ministers agree and take time to examine the report’s findings.

Mobility issues underpin disabled people’s rights, enabling them to live their lives with more and control. As the review stresses, denying people control over their own lives and undermines the government’s own personalisation agenda. As the Low Review report concludes, if the rights of disabled people are to be preserved then it is vital that DLA mobility - and its successor PIP - are retained for people living in residential care.

The Low Review Report Documents (PDFs):

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