Minister for Disabled People, Mark Harper, today (24 March 2015) announced the reappointment of Stephen Jack OBE and Professor Peter Cooke as Chair and Vice Chair of the Independent Living Fund board of trustees respectively, for a further term from 1 April 2015 until the full closure of the Fund after June 2015.

The Independent Living Fund is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and operates as a discretionary trust managed by a board of trustees appointed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

The Independent Living Fund is wholly funded by the DWP and the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland and provides financial support to severely disabled people who wish to live independently in the community. Help is provided in the form of cash payments to individuals, which are used to buy personal care and/or domestic assistance, providing greater opportunities for choice and control in their individual care arrangements. They work in partnership with local authorities to devise joint care packages.

On 6 March 2014 the then Minister for Disabled People Mike Penning, announced that the Fund would close from 30 June 2015 with funding devolved to local government in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. The Independent Living Fund has carried out an extensive programme of transitional review activity to ensure that every current user has individually-agreed agreed arrangements in place for transferring their care packages to local authorities. The reappointment of the chair and trustees will enable the Independent Living Fund to continue to benefit from expert leadership and experience during this transitional period.

There are 7 existing trustees who are remunerated according to their position within the Trust and entitled to be reimbursed for all reasonable and proper expenses incurred in carrying out their duties.

Stephen will be remunerated an annual sum of £19,500, out of the Trust Fund for fulfilling his role as Chair.

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Stephen is a chartered accountant who has held senior management positions in a number of international financial services organisations. He is a non-executive director of Anchor Trust where he chairs the Audit and Risk Committee; a non-executive director of RP Martin, a financial products brokerage business and a trustee and the treasurer of the Greater London Fund for the Blind.
Stephen was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Year Honours list for services to disabled people.

Peter Cooke is Emeritus Professor of Automotive Management at the University of Buckingham Business School, where he was previously Professor and Head of the Centre for Automotive Management. He is also: a consultant, speaker, writer and broadcaster on automotive and disability issues; a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellow (since 2002) and a governor of Motability. Peter was a non-executive director of Remploy for 7 years.

All public appointments under the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice are made on merit, and political activity plays no part in the selection process. Stephen Jack has not declared political activity and does not hold other ministerial public appointments.

The Independent Living Fund’s address is:

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