FOI request (FOIR-683437724)

Disabled Facilities Grants

Requested Fri 31 January 2025
Responded Wed 05 March 2025

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information. Please may you provide me with:

1. Does the local authority offer Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) above the statutory maximum and, if yes, how is this delivered:

a. Top-ups (paid for by the local authority)?

b. Loans?

c. Other (please specify)?

2. What is the total number of Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) applications received and accepted by the local authority that have been above the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) statutory maximum amount over the following periods:

a. April 2021 to March 2022

b. April 2022 to March 2023

c. April 2023 to March 2024

3. Are there any other means in which adaptations are funded by the local authority? If so, please specify.

4. What was the local authority's Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) budget for the periods:

a. April 2021 to March 2022

b. April 2022 to March 2023

c. April 2023 to March 2024

5. What proportion of the local authority's Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) budget was spent during the periods:

a. April 2021 to March 2022

b. April 2022 to March 2023

c. April 2023 to March 2024

6. What is the process for means-testing applicants for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in your local authority?

7. Are there any exemptions to the means test for people with rapidly progressive terminal conditions, such as MND in your local authority?

8. Are there any circumstances in which the DFG mandatory means test is waived and, if so, what are those circumstances? (For example, for adaptations under a certain cost or of a certain type.)

9. Has your local authority conducted any assessments (including an Impact Equality Assessment) or reviews on the appropriateness of means testing for individuals with rapidly progressive terminal conditions, such as MND or disability more widely?

10. Do you currently have a fast-track application process in place to provide Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding more rapidly to applicants with urgent needs? If yes, what are the eligibility criteria to access this process?

11. How many DFG applications were received under the fast-track process (if applicable) and how many of these were approved under the fast-track process during the period:

a. April 2021 to March 2022

b. April 2022 to March 2023

c. April 2023 to March 2024

12. Does your local authority maintain a record or register of accessible homes available for individuals with disabilities, including those living with progressive terminal conditions, such as MND>

13. If such a register exists, how is it updated and made available to individuals and families in need of accessible housing?

14. If no record is maintained, are there any plans to develop a database or register of accessible homes in your local authority?

For the below questions use your definitions of small, medium and large adaptations.

15. What was the average time taken (in days) complete the assessment of small, medium and large-sized< adaptations under the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) during the period:

a. April 2021 to March 2022

b. April 2022 to March 2023

c. April 2023 to March 2024

16. What was the average time taken (in days) from the approval of small, medium and large-sized Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to the completion of the installation during the period:

a. April 2021 to March 2022

b. April 2022 to March 2023

c. April 2023 to March 2024

Response

1. Hastings Borough Council (HBC) has a top-up option in our discretionary policy where we can top-up a maximum of £30,000.

2a. April 2021 to March 2022 - Received 1 - Accepted 1

2b. April 2022 to March 2023 - Received 1 - Accepted 1

2c. April 2023 to March 2024 - Received 12 - Accepted 12

4a. April 2021 to March 2022 - £2,056,655

4b. April 2022 to March 2023 - £2,056,655

4c. April 2023 to March 2024 - £2,056,655 + £179,463 additional = £2,236,118

5a. April 2021 to March 2022 - 91.05%

5b. April 2022 to March 2023 - 68.75%

5c. April 2023 to March 2024 - 85.67%

6. They complete an initial Preliminary Test of Resource if they do not receive a pass-porting benefit. If they have no contribution or have a contribution and wish to carry on with the grant process, then a full means test is carried out at the application stage.

7. HBC has an option in its Discretionary policy for working age people with a rapidly deteriorating condition that can be used if they are not automatically eligible for a grant.

8. If an internal stairlift is the only need and the client has a contribution or is not on an eligible benefit then we can install an internal stairlift to a maximum value of £10,000.

9. No, HBC has not conducted an IEA on this particular issue. However, when we looked at barriers to access to DFGs and speed of getting works carried out, we decided that we would include in our discretionary policy, specific criteria for persons with terminal conditions which did not focus on the outcome of a means test. This was consistent with guidance provided in the DFG guidance published in March 2022.

10. HBC does have a Fast Track process, the decision to Fast Track is made by the Occupational Therapists, dependent on need. They are employed by East Sussex County Council and have their own procedures for this.

11a. April 2021 to March 2022 – Received 1 - Approved 1

11b. April 2022 to March 2023 – Received 1 - Approved 1

11c. April 2023 to March 2024 – Received 7 - Approved 7

12. Most of the social housing stock in the borough is owned and managed by registered providers (housing associations), the two biggest are Orbit and Southern Housing. We retain the nomination rights via our housing register. When they advertise properties via our housing register, they can award a mobility level 1, 2 or 3 (if applicable):

Mobility Level - Where a property is advertised for applicants with restricted mobility (that is, 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.

Applicants on our housing register can be awarded a mobility level based on medical evidence. When processing shortlists applicants with a mobility level are prioritised over those that do not require a mobility level property.

13. See above. We operate a choice-based lettings system for our housing register. Applicants can place bids on advertised properties via Sussex Homemove.

14. See above. The council does not have its own Council Stock. Our housing acquisitions team, when purchasing properties, consider accessibility with some of their purchases around use for temporary accommodation and have accessed the DFG budget to improve these properties and improve accessibility.

15. This information is not available as the council does not complete the assessment. This is done by East Sussex County Council (https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk).

16. We do not record and group our DFGs by small medium and large and can only provide you with the average time taken for all DFGs.

16a. April 2021 to March 2022 - 105 days (74 working days)

16b. April 2022 to March 2023 - 124 days (86 working days)

16c. April 2023 to March 2024 - 106 days (76 working days)