FOI request (FOIR-487841932)

Accessible Housing Statistics

Requested Thu 16 February 2023
Responded Fri 24 February 2023

I am writing to request information about accessible housing in your authority boundary under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please provide these as an Excel spreadsheet.

For the calendar years 2021 and 2022, please provide the following information concerning all relevant properties managed by the Council or Housing Associations to the best of your ability.

Please ensure that your figures add up and that totals are provided where needed.

1a. As of 31st December 2021, and 31st December 2022, how many accessible (M4 Category 1, M4 Category 2 and M4 Category 3) homes were within your local authority boundary? Please separate M4 Category 1, M4 Category 2 and M4 Category 3, if possible.

1b. Of those, how many were occupied and unoccupied? Please separate M4 Category 1, M4 Category 2 and M4 Category 3, if possible.

1c. Of those, were any properties unavailable for any reason(s)? If yes, how many and why?

2a. As of 31st December 2021, and 31st December 2022, how many people were waiting on registers or waiting lists for accessible homes (M4 Category 1, M4 Category 2 and M4 Category 3) within your local authority boundary? Please separate M4 Category 1, M4 Category 2 and M4 Category 3, if possible.

2b. Please provide a demographic breakdown of those people to the best of your ability and without triggering a Section 40 exemption. For the total number of people waiting at the end of each calendar year, can you provide an:

i. Age breakdown

ii. Gender identity

iii. Sexual identity

iv. Ethnic identity

v. Nationality

vi. Breakdown of impairment/disability

3. As of 31st December 2021 and 31st December 2022, the average (mean and median) calendar days people were waiting on registers or waiting lists for these accessible (M4 Category 1, M4 Category 2 and M4 Category 3) homes.

Response

1a. Hastings Borough Council owns a very small number of properties, most of which are used as temporary accommodation. None of these properties are accessible. Most of the social housing in the borough is owned and managed by Registered Providers (housing associations), the two biggest of which are Southern Housing (formerly known as Optivo), and Orbit. We do not hold information on how many accessible homes they have.

1b. Information not held, please see 1a above.

1c. Information not held, please see 1a above.

2a. Our housing register does not hold information in this format. Instead we use the following:

Mobility Level: Where a property is advertised for applicants with restricted mobility (Mobility Level 1, 2 or 3), priority will be given to applicants who require this type of property.

• Mobility Level 1 - Typically suitable for a person who uses a wheelchair full time, indoors and outdoors. The property will provide full wheelchair access throughout.

o As at 31st December 2021 = 20

o As at 31st December 2022 = 26

• Mobility Level 2 - Typically suitable for a person with restricted walking ability and for those that may need to use a wheelchair for some of the time. The property will have internal and external level or ramped access, but some parts of the property may not be fully wheelchair accessible.

o As at 31st December 2021 = 31

o As at 31st December 2022 = 36

• Mobility Level 3 - Typically suitable for a person able to manage two or three steps, but unable to manage steep gradients. The property may have adaptations to assist people with limited mobility.

o As at 31st December 2021 = 256

o As at 31st December 2022 = 245

2b. Please see attached spreadsheet.

3. Wait times are available to view on our website at:

https://www.hastings.gov.uk/housing/social_housing/new/

We do not break this down by Mobility 1, 2 or 3 properties. We can provide the number of lets that were made into Mobility 1, 2 or 3 properties during 2021 and 2022:

2021

o Mobility 1 = 2

o Mobility 2 = 7

o Mobility 3 = 34

2022

o Mobility 1 = 1

o Mobility 2 = 2

o Mobility 3 = 20

Attachments

• FOIR-487841932_FOIR-487841932_1-FOIR-487841932_-_information_for_2b.xlsx