VULNERABLE PEOPLE FACE INCREASING DELAYS FOR DISABLED FACILITY GRANTS

9.39.03am GMT Mon 21st Dec 2009

An answer to a written question at last week's Full Council meeting has revealed that disabled people are facing increasing delays for essential work to make life worth living in their homes due to the delay in processing Disabled Facilities Grants.

Councillor Christine Carter asked for a breakdown for the number of applications for Disabled Facilities Grants in the last two years, and for the length of time for each application being made to the works being completed.

The written answer from the Cabinet member for Adult Special Care Neil Bent showed that "the average time from enquiry to completion was 42 weeks for Dec 07 to Dec 08 and 52 weeks from Dec 08 to present."

Commenting on the answer to her question, Councillor Carter said, "These figures are very bad news for disabled people, whose lives can be transformed by adaptations to their homes which can make life bearable for them.

"The increasing delays for Disabled facilities Grants support the findings by the recent Corporate Area Assessment which shows that more work is needed to be done for the less well off."