Parliament Launches A Survey On Accessible Housing

It might be imagined that in a city the size of Leeds, there are enough homes around that finding accessible ones will not be too hard. However, the reality for many is very different.

Just what the experience is for disabled people in trying to obtain such homes is something the House of Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee is trying to find out more about. It has launched its own survey to discover how the government can offer more help.

The survey will not just focus on the experiences people have of finding housing that is custom-built for those with disabilities, but in accessing adaptations too. The latter will apply to things like stairlift installation.

Chair of the committee Clive Betts said the inquiry aims to establish “what the Government can do to ensure disabled residents have access to accessible and adaptable housing in England and how far the planning system is helping to deliver suitable homes”.

The survey will be available for people to fill in online until February 15th and its findings will help inform the committee’s final report on the issue, which will be titled ‘Disabled people in the Housing Sector’.

As well as providing useful information for the government this year, the timing could be very significant as it could provide plenty of data to help those formulating policy proposals for manifestos as the next general election approaches.

Help may also be on the way for older people who need stairlifts if there are better protections in place against ageism.

Addressing MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee at Westminster, Carole Easton, chief executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, said ageism is “hidden in plain sight and embedded” in UK society.

Her comments came as the committee considered the issue of England getting an Older People’s Commissioner, a position that already exists in Wales and Northern Ireland and has been proposed in Scotland.