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Mobility allowance triumph
People living in Epilepsy Society’s residential care homes are celebrating today (1 December) after learning they can keep the mobility element of their disability living allowance (DLA).
The Government had wanted to scrap the £51-a-week benefit payment, available to about 80,000 disabled people nationwide, as part of efforts to slash billions of pounds from the welfare bill.
Campaigners had warned that removing the allowance would rob some of the most vulnerable people of their independence.
Ministers have now confirmed that the mobility benefit will be kept when the DLA is replaced by the new personal independence payment (PIP) in 2013.
Graham Faulkner, Epilepsy Society’s chief executive said: 'We are delighted to hear this good news. As part of the Low Review, Lord Low visited our Chalfont Centre in Buckinghamshire in September, when he met with residents and people who use Epilepsy Society services, to establish exactly what mobility needs they have.
'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 recommendations. The decision to retain the mobility element of the DLA is an excellent result for disabled people in residential care.'
