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To: Theresa May

DON'T ABOLISH ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE

UPDATE! We won the campaign!

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid slipped out an announcement backing down on the plans at at the Local Government Association (LGA) councillors' forum on 19 January 2017

You can read his full speech here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/supporting-local-government

Specifically this bit
“Today I can confirm that the localisation of Attendance Allowance is no longer being considered as part of the business rates reforms.

I’ll be announcing further details on business rates reforms shortly.

But I can tell you now that Attendance Allowance will not be included.”

This is fantastic news, and thank you so much to everyone that signed the petition and emailed the minister to help put pressure on him.

It looks as though Attendance Allowance is safe for now!

Please don't abolish Attendance Allowance

Why is this important?

The government is drawing up plans to abolish attendance allowance (AA). Attendance allowance is a benefit payable to people over the age of 65 who have care needs, including difficulties with everyday tasks such as dressing and washing. This money can make all the difference between living and existing.

Thanks to attendance allowance, older people with conditions like arthritis can pay for cleaners or someone to help with the shopping. It goes towards extra heating, or running a car. It’s not just about budgeting: they also gain some company from hiring help, and can pay for transport to get them out of the house.

Without the benefit, many people will no longer be able to travel for their shopping, so they may be forced to use more expensive shops nearby. It will be harder for them to keep their homes clean. They’ll be faced with greater isolation. And loneliness and social isolation are harmful to our health: research shows that lacking social connections is as damaging to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (Holt-Lunstad, 2010). All this may pose a hazard to both their physical and their mental health - and end up creating more of a strain on medical and social services.

A 73 year old man I know was diagnosed with throat and larynx cancer and faced increasing immobility. He was unable to walk to local shops just 250 yards away without either stopping for a break every few yards or being taken by a friend. For longer distances, he had to travel by taxi. It was his attendance allowance which allowed him to pay for taxis and get out of the house in spite of his illness.

Since then, he has been in hospital undergoing a tracheotomy and laryngectomy. He is considerably weaker than when he was admitted to hospital and will not be able to look after his home in the way that was once able. He will require the services of a cleaner and a carer to help him prepare meals, neither of which he would be able to afford without his Attendance Allowance.

The government claims that local authorities will step in to fill the gap in provision created by scrapping attendance allowance. But in the face of sweeping cuts imposed on their budgets, local authorities may find that administering such an allowance is beyond their means. What guarantees will there be that local authorities will have sufficient funds to match the current rates?

This is yet another swipe at the most vulnerable in our society, potentially depriving them of a quality of life that Attendance Allowance helps to provide.

N.B.: Just to clarify this will not affect current claimants. The changes are planned to affect claimants from 2018 onwards.

Categories

Updates

2017-08-29 15:00:39 +0100

Petition is successful with 132,797 signatures

2017-06-21 16:44:57 +0100

Petition is successful with 132,790 signatures

2017-06-03 08:05:23 +0100

Petition is successful with 132,788 signatures

2017-05-23 02:56:36 +0100

Petition is successful with 132,786 signatures

2017-05-11 20:38:06 +0100

Petition is successful with 132,781 signatures

2017-04-30 19:53:19 +0100

Petition is successful with 132,782 signatures

2017-04-12 11:36:26 +0100

Petition is successful with 132,772 signatures

2016-10-22 11:21:48 +0100

A quick update, the government has now carried out the consultation, i am working with the backing of the organisation i work for, who will carry this forward to fight the cause depending on the result.

2016-03-01 18:33:37 +0000

https://petition.parliament.uk/signatures/12357884/signed/neWbo2sfNXeA1QcqW8fM
Another petition on the gov site.

2016-02-29 15:45:24 +0000

100,000 signatures reached

2016-02-09 20:32:53 +0000

50,000 signatures reached

2016-01-23 11:15:25 +0000

20,000 signatures reached

2016-01-20 09:39:13 +0000

10,000 signatures reached

2016-01-19 07:25:13 +0000

5,000 signatures reached

2016-01-18 00:56:14 +0000

1,000 signatures reached