Press Release

Budget Statement: United Response urges Chancellor to address funding shortfall for people with learning disabilities

20 April 2009

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's Budget Su Sayer, Chief Executive of disability charity United Response says:

"People with learning disabilities have the same human rights as everyone else. However, a growing number of people aren't getting the basic support they need to live the kind of lives the rest of us take for granted – a situation which will become more acute as the number of people with learning disabilities living into old age increases.

"We hope the Government will use this budget to recognise and address this increasing demand for care. Research carried out by the Learning Disability Coalition shows that an extra £200 million a year is needed to maintain current service provision. A transfer of resources from the NHS of even 0.2% could help to make up this shortfall giving people with learning disabilities the support they need, improving their quality of life and alleviating the burden on related healthcare services."

Along with 11 other major learning disability organisations known as the Learning Disability Coalition, United Response is asking for the Government to recognise that the increased numbers of people with a learning disability – due to people living longer and more babies with severe disabilities surviving – mean that extra money is urgently needed. Based on work done at the University of Lancaster, the Coalition has estimated that an extra £200 million a year is needed to maintain services at current level.

There are a million people in England with learning disabilities, of whom around a quarter receive some kind of help from their local social services. However, social services budgets are becoming increasingly stretched and the criteria used for determining who is entitled to public support are being constantly tightened. A survey carried out by the Coalition found for example that a third of respondents had had their daytime activities cut.