[Guinness]

IMO the ILF has been pretty much usurped by the social services since its inception.

The ILF was supposed to be given as an extra to what social services provided under their budget. And for the first 12 months or so it was. Problem was that social workers were then told to initiate funding reviews and claw back money by reducing their contributions towards support and/or care once ILF had been granted, or by underfunding new claimants knowing that ILF would 'top up', meaning that recipients of ILF were rarely much better off in real terms anyway.

Smoke and mirrors, robbing Peter to pay Paul. And this was done under the last government, as usual to hide real figures.

Problem now is when the condemn mob remove it in 2015, the social services are highly unlikely to initiate funding reviews to up their contributions back to what they were, or should have been paying before the ILF top up.

In fact it will be most unlikely if rumours I have heard are true, neither local authorities or county councils will be footing the bill in 2015. There is a growing swell of opinion that the NHS has been ducking its responsibilities with regard to the severe, mental and learning disabled and that they should come under the wing of the NHS, paid for by continuing healthcare funding. And we all know how cash strapped the NHS is.

Only losers are the disabled who have the singular distinction of being royally screwed by ALL THREE PARTIES!