Disabled Facilities Grant & Housing Assistance Policy 2024 - Public Consultation

Dear Reader

We’re consulting on a new draft policy which, if approved, would mean extra financial support for disabled people to have household adaptions, helping people to live safe and independent lives at home.

Our current policy dates back to 2010 and offers a small number of financial assistance packages for disabled people. One is the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), a means tested grant offering financial assistance to cover the costs of home adaptations up to £30,000.  

Adaptations may range from installing ramps, handrails, or stairlifts to widening doorways, adjusting countertop heights, modifying kitchens, incorporating accessible bathing facilities, larger construction schemes such as extensions, and providing new ground floor facilities for bedrooms and bathrooms.

Each year, inflation on construction costs has increasingly limited the value of DFGs, because the maximum grant award is capped, meaning the grants can no longer fully support a wide range of adaptations for disabled people. In response, we are seeking to introduce a number of additional discretionary assistance packages within our new proposed DFG Grant and Housing Assistance Policy.

We’re particularly keen to hear feedback on the proposed scope and eligibility criteria of the below additional support packages, to help ensure we are meeting the needs of the borough’s most vulnerable people, before councillors make the final decision.