New Funding to Support Independent Living for Older and Disabled People

That's very good news CS.

A point which isn't discussed often enough in my opinion is that the privatisation of housing provision in this country by our first female PM (whose name must not be mentioned!) and related huge increases in the value of property have resulted in our sorely lacking adapted accommodation for our ageing and progressively more disabled population.

Private landlords only have disincentive to adapt accommodation as it'll likely reduce the range/number of people the accommodation will appeal to and they won't be allowed to charge more for it.

Gordon Brown (after Bliar had quit) introduced a public/private scheme to adapt and maintain properties which I took advantage of 15-16 years ago. It was a great help to me.

I chose the bungalow from the open market and paid 75% of the price (as I remember the maximum price I could choose was £120,000). My co-investor is a large supported housing company who own lots of care homes and employ their own full-time handymen/electricians/plumbers/gardeners etc. That scheme was a work of art and in the 14 years or so since it was stopped the lack of investment in adapting accommodation has returned.

Ramps were added by my co-investor to the front and back doors, the kitchen was all lowered etc, carpets replaced with laminate, new boiler/white goods, bath removed and turned into a shower room, they even replaced the double glazing, renewed the cavity wall/loft insulation, and decorated, all at no cost to me and exactly what I asked for. I pay them an affordably small rent which covers all my maintenance needs, and in 10 years time (after 25 in all) their 25% stake in the house will transfer to me.

As they will the Tories stopped it as soon as they got back in so I think the scheme only ran for a couple of years or so. I'm surprised I can't remember what the scheme was called. I'll add that if it occurs to me. They couldn't/can't change the contracts they set up with other people and I and the various companies involved, so my maintenance is guaranteed for as long as I live here.

Improvements to work environments are great news too.

I'm pleased to see positive things beginning to be announced. The wheels of politics and investment doth turn mighty slow... Here's hoping for the future!

🤞

The problem is that this funding is obviously going to be means tested - but at what level of savings ?

And £50m divided by 5000 applicants is only £10k per applicant - whilst this may sound a lot - it won't pay anything like the full cost of a properly constructed wet room or similar - again leaving the disabled individual with a financial problem.

@SwiftFox, the Disabled Facilities Grant does do major works, some mentioned in the opening post, in some cases, it could be an house extension. In England it is a maximum of £30,000, if the works cost more, there are charities that can help with the extra. That is according to the great guy in charge of my works & grant. You do have to be low income with savings the maximum of £6000, it doesn't affect benefits. It covers a whole host of disability needs, not just physical & also age related.

BTW, in Wales, the limit is £36,000

For the few aids you mention, an occupational therapist would & could arrange for them. An OT also comes round to see what bigger needs you have, like the major works & she forwards her recommendations for the grant.

Community Independence Teams can also arrange for various aids to help around the house & you don't pay for them.

This house is a squash and a squeeze, as an old woman once remarked.

Thanks Jess, I am sure it will all work out in the end. No way will I get an extension, I wouldn't want all the hassle for one thing. I don't take up much room anyway!

OT gave me some metal pole to open the windows, not much use tbh, they are too stiff. Hospital bed and shower wheelchair can be got very quickly, I can happily wait for the kitchen adaption, provided I don't wreck the current kitchen, what with crashing into everything with the castors.

Well Jess, I don't know where you are, but there isn't quite the same pressure on resources as there would be in large cities, or more populous areas.

I don't think I am getting anything as fancy as you describe, the OT said I won't need anything that raises up and down. I might get a pleasant surprise, as she hadn't been involved in a kitchen adaptation before.

I moved in here in 2015, the first tenant in a new street. Next door was a wheelchair user, she had a sink that went up and down with a manually operated handle, and underneath the sink, instead of the usual door, there was a curtain.

This is a council house, and I will be grateful for whatever they give me. The wet room and wash//dry toilet are very nice, so who knows? I got to choose the colour of the flooring and wet wall.

Thank you!

Leaseholder for me is, I own a flat that is in a council block, so I pay service charges & ground rent, the latter is £10, the former a darn sight more & it's in Hampshire. Used to live in devon & popped over the bridge to Cornwall, a lot. Never been to Brighton, it may well be exotic, one building there is. 😉

I've just Googled to see if you have the same grant system, er…no! NI, Wales & England do on the .gov site. I was directed to a Scottish Government page though & it seems you do have a system there, not sure what it's called though, as the info wasn't up to date on that page, there was a pilot scheme in 2016/17 called Adapting for Change, so… Further look & there's another page that mentions funding for local authority tenants, by the local authority for essential adaptations & that seems the same & it goes via social work team & an OT that looks at your needs.

It depends on what is needed, @Wibbles, if the adaptations, such as extensions, cost more than the grant, then it can be topped up by Discretionary Assistance from the council. There is also a top up grant with no maximum, plus there are charities that can help & the person in charge of the works apply to them. This is from the guy that was overseeing the works that were done for me. So there are means to have all adaptations. Plus, if your savings are more than the £6000 councils can still award the DFG at their discretion & if the works are desperately needed.

My adaptations came in at £17,500 ish, once quotes went in, even though all my works would come under the full grant amount, anything extra that cropped up outside of the quotes, went in under Discretionary Assistance too.

Obviously, all councils don't work the same, but they all have to work under The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996