Local replacements for the Independent Living Fund (ILF)

The ILF was administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and was closed on 30 June 2015; in England, responsibility was devolved to local authorities, along with funding (although this was not ring-fenced).  The Government committed to providing funding to local authorities until 2019-20.

For England, this note provides information about the calculation of the funding pot, and how local authority allocations are determined, as well as the absence of ring-fencing and the fact that local authorities now determine eligibility criteria at the local level (rather than criteria set at the national level by DWP).

In January 2017, the Government published a review of the ILF’s closure, and there have been surveys conducted by charities into the effect of the closure of the ILF and transfer of funding to local authorities, some of which are considered in the paper.

Further information about the former ILF and its closure can be found in the Library briefing paper The closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) (CBP 7787).