Independent Living Bill

Independent Living is the key to equality for disabled people. It means:

  • Having full choice and control over how you live your life; and
  • Being able to get whatever support you need to take part in work, in education, in the life of your local community, in democracy or in leisure activities.

Lord Ashley’s Independent Living Bill has been passed by the Lords and Roger Berry MP, a long standing protagonist for disability rights, has taken it up in the House of Commons. The bill is due to have its second reading on October 19th but will be timed out.   

Key Details of the bill

  • New legislative framework for independent living rooted in the principles of freedom, dignity, choice and control
  • Pooled funding for social care, housing support, employment support, and health services, to be accessed by a single assessment.
  • The right of self-determination for disabled people with support in expressing our requirements and managing our lives.
  • An inclusive definition of disability to reform the out-of-date definition currently used in community care law.
  • Minimum outcomes to guide decisions about support packages – in order to eliminate post-code lotteries.
  • Rights to ‘portable support’ would ensure that disabled people are free to move around the country without fear of losing our support package

The bill has wide support amongst those groups it will significantly impact e.g. the Equal Opportunities Commission, Carers UK, Age Concern as well as the disability sector.

Recent research by the Office for Disability Issues found that investing in housing adaptations, and investment in independent living leads to savings to health care and social care budgets and benefits individuals and wider society. A "change in delivery model would require additional resources but over time these would be recouped in savings".