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Mobility allowance review
People living in residential care should be allowed to keep the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) if the rights of disabled people are to be preserved.
That was the finding of The Low Review, an independent study of personal mobility in state-funded residential care. The review, led by Lord Low was launched in July 2011 in response to Government plans to review the mobility allowance as part of a wider reform of the Disability Living Allowance.
The review received more than 800 submissions from individuals, local authorities and providers and held six oral evidence sessions. The key findings of the review were:
- Disability Living Allowance) mobility component, or its successor under Personal Independence Payment (PIP), should be retained. Its removal would lead to a loss of independence for disabled people
- The report found 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.
Graham Faulkner, chief executive of Epilepsy Society welcomed the findings. ‘Lord Low visited our Chalfont Centre in Buckinghamshire in September, when he met with residents and service users to find out exactly what their mobility needs are.
‘Unsurprisingly, he found that they are the same as non-disabled people except that they face additional costs and require extra support in meeting those needs. I have no doubt that representations made during Lord Low’s visit have contributed to his thinking and his recommendations.’
Report downloads
Download the Low report below. These files are in pdf format and will open in a new browser window.
- Download Lord Low review (633.93 Kb)
- Download Low review: executive summary (815.64 Kb)
- Download Low review: executive summary easy read (325.78 Kb)
