Right to Control Trailblazers

Information on the Right to Control and resources for Trailblazer areas

What is the Right to Control?

The Right to Control is a new legal right for disabled people. It gives disabled people more choice and control over the support they need to go about their daily lives. Disabled adults living in seven test areas will be able to combine the support they receive from six different sources and decide how best to spend the funding to meet their needs. Disabled people will be able to choose to:

continue receiving the same support
ask a public body to arrange new support
receive a direct payment and buy their own support
have a mix of these arrangements.

What are Trailblazers?

Trailblazers are areas where the Right to Control is being tested. Seven Trailblazer areas are working with Jobcentre Plus to test how the Right to Control will work for disabled adults. The Government will evaluate the Trailblazers which will inform a decision about wider roll out.

What publicly funded services are participating in Right to Control?

Right to Control includes services funded by Department for Work and Pensions, (DWP), Communities and Local Government (CLG), and Department of Health.

Funding streams involved in Right to Control are:

Access to Work (Department for Work and Pensions)
Work Choice (Department for Work and Pensions)
Independent Living Fund (Department for Work and Pensions)
Disabled Facilities Grant (Department for Communities and Local Government)
Supporting People -Non-statutory Housing related support (Department for Communities and Local Government)
Adult Social Care (Department of Health)

Who are the Trailblazers?

Seven Trailblazers are testing the Right to Control. Five Trailblazers started on 13 December 2010. They are:

Essex County Council
Leicester City Council
London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Newham
Surrey County Council (two parts only: Epsom and Ewell Borough Council and Reigate and Banstead Borough Council).

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Sheffield City Council started on 1 March 2011.

Manchester Area Partnership (including Manchester City Council, Oldham Council, Bury Council, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and Trafford Council) started on 1 April 2011. Oldham Council will not participate in the pilot beyond 12 December 2012.

Trailblazers can share information and support each other online by joining the Right to Control Group on the Knowledge Hub. If you wish to join please e-mail the Right to Control Team at right.control@dwp.gsi.gov.uk for further details.

Extension of Right to Control

There was solid support amongst those who commented, for the extension of Right to Control for a further 12 months. The legislation to effect the extension was laid before Parliament.

All the local authorities delivering the Right to Control were invited to participate in the extension period, and all but Oldham Council agreed.

View the full Government Response on the DWP website

The legislation to enable the extension of the pilots for a further 12 months was approved by Parliament. Right to Control is therefore available in all participating local authorities until the end of the day on 12 December 2013.

Oldham Council will not participate in the extension period. If you previously accessed Right to Control in Oldham and wish to find out more information please contact the support planning team at the Link Centre on 0161 770 1284 or 07814 471760.

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Page last reviewed: 18 December 2012