The Conservative government is about to launch a consultation on abolishing attendance allowance for all new claims and giving the money saved to local authorities instead.{jcomments on}
The news was quietly released before Christmas in the Local Government Finance Settlement which explained that:
“The Government will also consider giving more responsibility to councils in England, and to Wales, to support older people with care needs – including people who, under the current system, would be supported through Attendance Allowance. This will protect existing claimants, so there will be no cash losers, and new responsibilities will be matched by the transfer of equivalent spending power. The Government is planning to consult in the New Year on this proposal, including on the right model of devolution and the level of flexibility that councils would need in order to effectively deliver this additional responsibility.”
By not axing the benefit of current claimants the government will hope to stifle most opposition as there are no immediate losers.
However, once attendance allowance for claimants aged 65 or over with care needs is abolished, how long will it be before PIP for older claimants also faces the axe?
We’ll keep readers informed when the consultation document is published.
