FOI request (FOIR-675118017)

Accessible housing

Requested Fri 03 January 2025
Responded Tue 06 May 2025

I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:

1. Please provide information on the number of individuals on your social housing waiting list who require accessible social housing:

a. Provide the overall total number of people on the waiting list for a type of accessible social housing.

b. Include a breakdown of the number of people on the waiting list per type of accessible housing, according to your own accessible housing categorisation system. Accessible housing categorisation types vary by local authority. Examples of how properties may be categorised include, but at not limited to: Mobility Level 1, 2, 3; Part M Building Regulations 2010 - Cat 1 (M4(1)) Cat 2 (M4(2)) Cat 3 (M4(3)); Accessible Housing Register - Categories A, B, C, D, E, F, G.

2. Please provide a breakdown of your overall housing stock by accessibility level. As stated above, the accessibility categorisation of properties varies between councils, please present the information using the council's own categorisation system. Please include properties that are unclassified in your breakdown.

3. Please provide a breakdown of all new-build dwellings approvals and completions in your council area by both Building Regulations Part M4 standard (M4(2), M4(3), and so on) and tenure type (market, social rented, discount market sale, and so on, or the tenure breakdown you measure by) in the year beginning 1st January 2022 ending 31st December 2022.

Response

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.

1.

Total households = 1035, of which Mobility Level 1 = 25 households, Mobility Level 2 = 62 households, Mobility Level 3 = 948 households.

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.

• Mobility Level 2 - Typically suitable to 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.

• 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.

2. The council completed a large scale voluntary transfer of its housing stock in 1996 and subsequently only has a relatively small housing portfolio which is used for temporary accommodation.

Out of 87 homes which are let, or ready to let, 2 have been adapted to provide Mobility Level 1 (typically suitable for a person who uses a wheelchair full time, indoors and outdoors).