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Independent Living Fund appoints new Chief Executive

5 January 2012

The Trustees of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) are pleased to announce the appointment of James Sanderson as Chief Executive.

James has worked for the ILF in a number of senior roles, most recently as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive.

James said,

"I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead the ILF and will ensure that we continue to deliver a high quality service to 20,000 disabled people across the UK.

I look forward to working with the Trustees, staff, ILF users, local authorities, colleagues within the Department for Work and Pensions, and other stakeholders, and using our combined knowledge and expertise to inform and support the Government’s plans for the future."

Chair of the ILF Trustees, Stephen Jack, said,

"We are looking forward to working with James in his new role as Chief Executive, and we are confident that James will lead the organisation very effectively."

James commenced his new role on 3 January 2012. He replaces Patrick Boyle as Chief Executive, who left in December 2011 after three successful years to take up a position in the Foreign Office.

Ends

Notes to editors

For more information contact David Smith, Head of Communications, on 0115 9450730 or 07779 083493. www.dwp.gov.uk/ilf

1. The Independent Living Fund (ILF) is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department for Work and Pensions. It awards payments to severely disabled people to support the cost of their personal assistance, enabling them to live fully inclusive independent lives in their communities.
2. The ILF provides financial assistance under the terms of a single publicly financed discretionary Trust Deed – The Independent Living Fund (2006), governed by a Board of eight Trustees.
3. The ILF currently provides financial support to 20,000 disabled people in the UK, and has supported over 46,500 disabled people during the last 23 years.
4. In December 2010, the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller, announced that the ILF was permanently closed to new applications. She also announced that the Government would protect the budget for the ILF to continue to support its existing recipients for the duration of this Parliament.
5. In December 2011, the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller, announced that the Government would consult on how best to support existing ILF recipients beyond this Parliament. The consultation will run alongside  the White Paper on reform of the care and support system in England in spring 2012.
6. The ILF is a funding stream within the DWP programme to develop the Right to Control, which is testing new ways of working together to better combine support arrangements for disabled people, through seven Trailblazer sites across England.