Socialities
• • . and disabled Custos One of the most important pieces of social legislation during this Parliament has been the attendance allowances for severely disabled people. At the moment, those needing attention day and night are eligible for a weekly allowance of £4.80; soon the Government will be extending the scheme to cover those disabled who need attention only during either the day or night.
Critics of the scheme argued that £4.80 a week was far too small a sum considering the sacrifice members of the family make in keeping a disabled member at home. To this the Government argue the following two points. First, one has to make a start and they propose to build on these small beginnings. Second, the benefit was of most 'help to the poor. Those on supplementary benefit who also qualified for a constant attendance allowance have all of the £4.80 disregarded. This compares with £2 for all other sources of income.
This ruling was never popular with some grass roots officials. And now Custos has had reported a case where not only wris the allowance taken into account when the claimant registered for benefit, but this has been confirmed by the appeal tribunal.
Social and voluntary workers need to check similar cases in their books and, where necessary, to appeal. Custos has also heard that some borough treasurers are pushing for the allowance to be taken in full for local authority means tested benefits. A watchful eye should be kept on this too, and Custos would like to hear from social workers as soon as any change is made.
Information produced last month showed a substantial increase in the number of people sleeping rough on the streets of London. This week, Christian Action has published a report on Glasgow's Homeless Single People. The report, compiled by Dione Crovsaz, takes the 1965 government surveY as a starting point. Then, six skippers were found. Earlier this year, the numbers sleeping rough had risen to thirty-nine, together with seventy-five men in the Gorbals night shelter.
Glasgow's skipper community is largely old and, in many instances, alcoholic. Younger Glaswegians head for London to make up part of the growing army of young people who sleep rough in the metropolis. Last year, New Horizon, a central London youth centre, reported one or two young homeless arrivals from Glasgow each week. NOW that number arrive off each train.
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