A commissioner’s guide to developing and sustaining local user-led organisations
How do I overcome problems: Challenges faced along the way
This section will help you to understand some of the difficulties that ULOs face in becoming strong and sustainable organisations. It also explains the key things that you can do to address those difficulties.
Key messages
- ULOs face a number of barriers including limited income, lack of resources and business acumen, and exclusion from tendering processes
- commissioners can play a vital role in overcoming these barriers by facilitating the development of ULOs in a number of practical ways
- one of the most useful things commissioners can do is to reserve contracts for ULOs, using European legislation and Treasury guidance to support this decision.
- 'ADASS, LGA, and NCIL continue to recommend to local authorities that they support the development and expansion of local, user-led support services.' Recommendation from the Joint Protocol between the NCIL, ADASS and the LGA, 2009
Disabled people should have choice and independence in how they live their lives. User-Led Organisations play a vital role in making sure they have their voices heard at every level
Maria Miller, the then Minister for Disabled People, DWP July 2011
