MPs call for more to be done for disabled people in local plans, reforms to Disabled Facilities Grant

Local authorities must do more to consider the needs of disabled people when planning for housing in their local plans, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee has said.

In a report, Disabled people in the housing sector, issued after the general election was announced, the committee also called for reforms to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) and for some local authorities to improve their inconsistent support in relation to DFGs .

The committee said: “Disabled people undeniably encounter unnecessary and severe barriers to accessing suitable housing in England. Too often too many disabled people are failed by the Government’s current housing policy. It is intolerable that many disabled people are living in unsuitable accommodation for years without hope.”

It added: “With the number of disabled people in England rising each year, there is simply not enough accessible housing to meet the rising demand. This poses a clear and direct risk to the dignity, health, and wellbeing of disabled people across the country.”

The committee said that many of the accounts it had received during the course of its inquiry “shone a light on the horrendous impact that living in inaccessible housing can have on a disabled person’s life. We were appalled to hear of multiple cases of disabled people being completely housebound over long periods of time due to the inaccessibility of their homes. We were also told of decades-long waiting lists for accessible social housing; significantly higher asking prices for accessible homes for sale; and cases of some landlords denying permission for home adaptations to make properties accessible.”

The report noted that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has still not implemented its headline policy to address the shortage of accessible housing: increasing the minimum accessibility standard for all new build homes to the ‘M4(2)’ standard of building regulations.

“It is imperative that the Government’s M4(2) policy commitment is now implemented as soon as possible. If this is not done, then thousands of disabled people will continue to be left with their housing needs unmet,” the report said.

To increase the availability of accessible homes for wheelchair users, the committee recommended that the Government require all local authorities to assess their local need for wheelchair accessible housing, as part of future changes to national planning policy.

All local plans in England should include a minimum percentage of M4(3) standard homes, it added.

The committee also revealed that many disabled people had told it of their struggle to adapt existing homes to be more accessible. Evidence to the inquiry highlighted “many shortcomings with the current DFG system, which ultimately leads many applicants to drop out entirely”, it added.

The report recommended that the Government:

• review the £30,000 upper limit on individual DFGs, and set new regional upper limits which take account of inflation and construction costs;
• simplify the DFG means test, and ensure it does not disproportionately penalise working disabled people by introducing more gradual tapering of personal contributions; and
• expand DFG guidance and self-assessment tools, to improve public awareness of the DFG and to support applicants as they navigate the process.

The committee added that the flaws of the DFG were compounded by the inconsistency of support to navigate the process in some local authorities, which was described to it as “pot luck” and “a minefield” for disabled people.

“We were also concerned to hear instances of some landlords refusing to grant permission for DFG adaptations to properties, despite existing legal protections which should prevent landlords from withholding consent.”

The report said: “It is unacceptable that any landlords should refuse disabled tenants permission for reasonable accessibility adaptations. The new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman must consider all complaints involving a landlord’s refusal to grant permission for accessibility adaptations, so that landlords are required to agree to all reasonable accessibility adaptations.”

Overall, it is essential that the Government, local authorities, and the housing sector work together to prioritise disability inclusion and address the barriers that disabled people are currently facing, the committee concluded.