A Labour councillor has defended the cuts to care for disabled people claiming it will help new applicants who have missed out on funding for years.

Dozens of members from Disabled People Against Cuts held a demonstration against the closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) outside Waltham Forest town hall on Tuesday (September 1).

One of them Gabriel Pepper, 44, who has severe complications from a brain tumour, was told he would have his care hours slashed from 72 hours a week to 38 after the government closed the fund and transferred the cash to councils.

The £320 million ILF fund was paying out up to £900 a week to residents in Waltham Forest so they can choose to live in the communities, rather than in residential care.

However on June 30 just £260m of the budget was transferred to the budgets of local councils, with no law saying they had to set it aside for ILF recipients.

Cllr Angie Bean cabinet member for adult services refused to say why the funds were not ring-fenced by the council with the money going into a general social care budget.

She said: “When the government scrapped its scheme on June 30, it transferred a reduced funding pot to local authorities to pay for adult social care support services.

“The scheme had been closed to new applicants since 2010 and so many residents in Waltham Forest were denied access to this government-funded support since then, even if they had the same needs to those who had applied before.

“In Waltham Forest, this funding has gone into our adult social care budget, and will in turn go towards ensuring disabled residents have an appropriate, council-funded care plan to meet their assessed needs.

“This includes former ILF recipients and those vulnerable people who missed out on that funding for so many years.”

Cllr Bean maintains a “robust review” was taken in Mr Pepper’s case, who had been a recipient of the fund for 16 years, and that 38 hours meets all of his assessed care needs.

She said: “It is designed to ensure that all opportunities for independent living are maximised and will be introduced in phases to ease the transition from previous care arrangements.

“Mr Pepper continues to receive statutory benefit entitlements, including access to a higher rate Disability Living Allowance.

“We have offered Mr Pepper further support, including occupational therapy, however he has declined this.”