Disabled people left stranded in their homes as councils flout access laws

Disabled people are being left stranded in their own homes due to a “culture of law- breaking” within local government over obligations to adapt homes and make them more accessible.

Two-thirds of councils are failing to complete home adaptations within the one-year legal limit, according to new research, and almost half are making disabled people wait more than two years for essential adaptations.

The Leonard Cheshire charity has exposed the statistics, which also show that each year 2,500 people wait longer than the legal limit for their homes to be made accessible.

Common works include widening doorframes to allow wheelchairs to pass, lowering cabinets and installing handrails.

Accessible housing is important for preventing injuries and reduces the need for expensive social care. Disabled and frail people living in unsuitable homes are estimated to cost the NHS £300m a year. Already 2.9 per cent of the total budget for GPs is spent on cases related to unfit housing. The excess cost to social care caused by people being forced to move into residential accommodation because their home is unsuitable for them adds up to another £150m a year.

Demand for adaptations has risen 6 per cent since 2011-12, but the amount of money paid out in disabled-facilities grants, which funds the work, has reduced by 3 per cent over the same period. Councils are also cutting the amount of budget allocated to the funding stream because of reductions passed down from central government.

Diagnosed with degenerative arthritis and slowly recovering from a broken back and neck, John Stokes (not his real name) is just one example of someone left struggling to get around his home in his wheelchair, let alone leave the house, with work still only half-done 18 months after it was ordered. “It’s difficult to get out properly because the front door is extremely narrow. The wheelchair can get stuck,” he said. “If you can’t go out, you just stay in bed. You don’t see anybody and you’re totally isolated.”

For John, plugs and electrical switches are also out of easy reach, and his bathroom is in a state of disrepair – and he has had to cut down on food and energy costs to fund the rest of the improvement work out of his own pocket.

“They’ve not touched the bathroom. Sockets need raising, the fuse box should be accessible and that’s going to [cost me] at least £250,” he said.

Andy Cole, campaigns director for Leonard Cheshire Disability, said it was “shocking” that funding was being cut while demand was rising.