Accessible home numbers ‘fall abysmally short’ due to delayed reforms

The figure means 375,000 homes were not built to that standard, which could have housed 885,000 people, according to the average number of people living in a home per the most recent census.

Millie Brown, deputy director for homes at the Centre for Ageing Better, said raising minimum accessibility standards could have been “life-changing” for people if it had been brought in. 

She added that housing policy must “bridge the ever-widening gap between the number of disabled people and accessible homes”.

“The proportions of older and disabled people among our population are growing significantly, and yet there are not enough provisions to support this change in our country’s demographics. We are falling abysmally short of meeting people’s needs.

“People living in homes which do not meet their accessibility needs cannot just wait for years and years, clinging to the hope this change might happen at some point in the future. Their need is desperate and urgent.”

Separately, polling by the centre found that two-thirds of people expect they would have problems moving around their current home if they developed health issues or had a serious injury.

Christina McGill, director of social impact at Habinteg, added that accessible homes “hold huge potential to reduce health and social care costs”.

“Yet 12 months into the new government’s term, we’ve heard very little of its intentions with regard to the minimum standards of accessibility and adaptability.

“Meanwhile, homes are being built and plans are being made for new developments which will not be accessible and adaptable and will therefore fail to deliver these critical outcomes.”

In a statement marking three years since the reforms stalled, charity Inclusion London called on the government to take action. According to the charity, one in five disabled social housing tenants live in an unsuitable home, while just 13% of homes have basic accessibility features.

Inclusion London called on the government to ensure all new-build homes meet the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard and at least 10% of all new-build homes meet the M4(3) wheelchair-user standard.