Direct payments charity goes into administration

A voluntary organisation that supports hundreds of disabled people who use direct payments has gone into administration, it has emerged.

Choices, which is based in London, has contracts with eight local authorities to support disabled people to recruit personal assistants, and manage their direct payments and payroll.

A Choices employee said it had “no official line” on the issue but had sent letters out to service users saying it was going into administration and it was possible that services would be closing down.

The National Centre for Independent Living said that disabled people using the service now faced uncertainty and did not know if the staff they employed would be paid.

The centre said it had first become aware of problems with Choices after being contacted by disabled people with concerns and the Inland Revenue about unpaid tax and national insurance bills.

NCIL added that although disabled people had long expected the organisation was having problems due to the “poor service” they were receiving they had not been officially told about the situation or what they should do.