Today, the Government have announced plans to consult on devolving responsibility of Attendance Allowance, the benefit offered to older people to assist with the cost of daily living, to local councils. Read the Care and Support Alliance’s response below.

Chair of the Care and Support Alliance, Vicky McDermott said:

“Attendance Allowance is a lifeline for over a million over 65 year olds and helps them to live independently. In many cases, people who receive attendance allowance will not automatically be in receipt of social care.

“Attendance Allowance is a vital prevention measure that must be safeguarded. The government must provide assurances that those older disabled people with lower levels of need will continue to be in receipt of Attendance Allowance as this will prevent them needing higher level of support in the future.

“The decision to transfer the Attendance Allowance budget from the department for work and pensions to local councils is a decision we will have to study carefully when the detailed proposals are published today.”