The Prime Minister said:
“We will not apply the Local Housing Allowance cap to supported housing – indeed we will not be implementing it in the wider social housing sector, and the full details will be made available when we publish our response to the consultation
Consultation is finding out what people think about something. .
“This is something we have been looking at very closely over the past year… and I can confirm that we will be publishing our response to that on Tuesday 31 October.”
Dan Scorer, Head of Policy at Mencap, said:
“We hope the Prime Minister’s welcome words today will lead to a more certain
Certain means you are sure about something. future for disabled people who want to live independently, in safe environments where they are supported to be part of their community
A community is the people and places in an area. .
“We have long argued that the Government’s LHA cap was unworkable and would have a devastating impact on the ability of housing providers to invest in and provide suitable housing for people with a learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. . In worst case scenarios it could have harmed the move away from housing people in inappropriate accommodation, such as inpatient units where people are at an increased risk of abuse
Abuse is when someone bullies you and does or says something to you that makes you feel hurt, upset or scared. and neglect
Neglect is when you are not being cared for or supported. .
“We hope the further details due to emerge from Government will remove the uncertainty that has been plaguing the supported sector, undermining future investment, and allow organisations
Organisations are groups like companies and businesses. to continue their work in providing the lifeline that supported housing offers to disabled people.”
-ENDS-
For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact the Mencap press office on 020 7696 5414 or media@mencap.org.uk.
Notes to editors
About Mencap
There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to
education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
,
employment
Employment means having a job.
and
leisure
Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub.
facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap Direct on 0808 808 1111 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or email help@mencap.org.uk
What is a learning disability?
A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life.
People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.
Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’.