A petition against charging disabled people for essential personal care has been organised by the charity Leonard Cheshire and will be handed in to 10 Downing Street in July.

Bryan Dutton, Leonard Cheshire director general, said it was ?grossly unfair? to charge for such care. It also created a disincentive to work because new proposals suggest up to 55 per cent of income could be taken into account when calculating charges.

Disability Rights Commission chair Bert Massie said this would force people back on to benefits or discourage them from taking jobs.