A national agency is needed if direct payments are to be implemented consistently, a leading disability campaigner said this week, writes Amy Taylor.

Nick Danagher said an agency could tackle inconsistencies in eligibility criteria and direct payment support services between councils.

Danagher, executive director of the National Centre for Independent Living, was speaking at a Community Care conference on the adult care services green paper.

There are significant variations in the take-up of direct payments between authorities, but a national agency would call into question the role of local government in social care, given the government's ambitions to extend choice for users.

Danagher said, under his plans, assessments would no longer be shaped by councils' budgets and would consequently meet all needs.

But John Dixon, co-chair of the Association of Directors of Social Services disabilities committee, disagreed with Danagher's proposals.

He said: "The idea is attractive in terms of consistency but I don't think it's politically feasible to separate assessment from resources. Governments are not in favour of writing blank cheques."

Danagher said the agency he proposed would be similar to that which runs the Independent Living Fund but would be more accountable to disabled people and have a statutory basis. The ILF is paid for by the government and provides financial support to disabled people to enable them to live in the community.

Danagher said a direct payments agency could amalgamate funding streams, other than that for social care, along the lines of the individual budgets proposed by the green paper. But he was concerned that local authorities, which would hold the budgets on behalf of the people using services, would amalgamate funds differently. "I wonder whether that's going to work well and consistently at a local level," he said.

The conference was organised by the ADSS and Pavilion.