Disabled Facilities Grant
Fylde Council Town Hall
Information about the Disabled Facilities Grant, including what it is and how to apply for it.
There are two forms of disabled facilities grants that are available from the council. These are the mandatory disabled facilities grant and the discretionary disabled facilities grant.
Mandatory disabled facilities grant.
Who can qualify for a mandatory disabled facilities grant?
The eligibility and many of the procedures for a mandatory disabled facilities grant are set by legislation and will be applicable to all parts of the country. To be eligible a person must be disabled and have some need for adaptations that arises because of the disability. Applications can be made by;
- A disabled person themselves if they are an owner occupier or a private tenant (including the tenant of a housing association)
- An owner occupier or private tenant (including the tenant of a housing association) where a disabled person lives with them as a member of the household.
There is a range of works that can be considered depending on the actual need of the disabled person that can include:
- Installation of ramps
- Installation of stair lifts or through floor lifts
- Provision of accessible kitchen and bathroom facilities
- Improvement of access into and around the home
- Access to suitable sleeping facilities
This list is not exhaustive but covers the more common types of application.
A disabled facilities grant is subject to a means test of the applicant and their household or the disabled person if this is not the applicant. The means test is prescribed nationally and this council does not have any discretion on its application. The means test will determine how much, if anything, the applicant will need to pay towards the cost of the works. In the case of an application in respect of adaptations for children under 18 years of age the means test is not applied. There is a maximum grant available of £30,000 for any single application.
How do I apply?
The start of the application process is an assessment of the needs of the disabled person. In the Fylde area the responsibility for carrying out the assessment rests with the Lancashire County Council Social Services Department. Usually the social services will arrange for a community occupational therapist to visit the disabled person and carry out an assessment of needs. All enquiries for assessments should be made to the local social services team based at Lytham. Their contact telephone number is 01253 738111. Sometimes a technical officer from Fylde Borough Council will be invited to the assessment to offer practical advice on the possibility of adaptations. The outcome of the assessment will be the recommendation of works needed to meet the needs of the disabled person. The works needed must be reasonable and practical in the circumstances and it is for Fylde Borough council to decide what is reasonable and practical. If the works needed are minor and cost no more than £500 a grant application would not be appropriate. In this case the social services, or your landlord if it is a housing association, should arrange for the works to be carried out themselves.
What is the process once an assessment is completed?
In Fylde, once an assessment is completed, the case is considered by a prioritisation panel. The panel consists of representatives from Fylde Borough Council, the social services, the occupational therapists and where appropriate New Fylde Housing. The objective of the panel is to direct the help available to those whose needs are most urgent so that they can be helped more quickly. In some cases this will mean that people with less urgent needs may have to wait for a longer time than others. The cases of people with a higher priority are then passed to Fylde Borough Councils housing team for the disabled grant application process to begin.
Once the referral is received by the housing team you will be contacted within 7 working days to arrange an appointment for a technical officer to visit and advise on the rest of the process. The Council offers an agency service to assist applicants through the whole process until the works have been completed. It should be noted though, that the contractual arrangement for the works will remain between the applicant and the chosen contractor. The technical officer will be your contact point for the application and will be able to guide you and offer full and detailed advice to you such as;
- The means test and the range of personal and financial information required
- The practicality of the works
- How long the works will take
- Obtaining contractors estimates
- Obtaining any necessary planning or building control permissions
- Filling in of necessary forms
Once all the required information is obtained and the application is complete the council is obliged to determine it within 6 months. In practice it is rare for an application to take more that a few weeks to determine once it is complete.
An approval document will advise the applicant of;
- The amount of grant approved and the applicants contribution (if any) towards the costs
- The works that have been approved
- The time within which the works must be completed. This is normally a minimum of 12 months.
- The conditions of future occupation that are attached to the grant.
How and when will the work be carried out?
After approval the technical officer will liaise with your contractor for you to arrange for the work to begin. The technical officer will also provide support to you whilst the works are being done and will inspect the works before authorising any payments. On completion of the works the technical officer will inspect the whole of the works and ask you for your satisfaction with the works before making a final payment. It is normal practice to make all payments directly to the contractor.
Once a the works are completed the future occupation conditions take effect and last for;
- In respect of a grant with a value of not more than £5000, 5 years
- In respect of a grant with a value of more than £5000, 10 years.
Further information.
If you need an assessment or need information about the progress of a request for an assessment you should contact the social services on 01253 738111.
If you have had an assessment and you want information about the progress of your application you should contact David Laver on 01253 658658 or by e-mail at davidl@fylde.gov.uk.
Discretionary disabled facilities grant
The mandatory disabled facilities grant is prescribed by legislation and the range of works that can be considered is also prescribed. The maximum grant that can be paid is subject to a national cap of £30,000. There are a number of circumstances where in may be appropriate to offer help by way of a discretionary disabled facilities grant.
- Increasing the grant available for a mandatory disabled facilities grant where the reasonable costs of the structural building works exceeds £30,000 and the applicant has been assessed as having no contribution to make. The maximum discretionary grant in this case will be £5000 in any single application.
- The provision of desirable works that are outside the scope of the mandatory disable facilities grant. Such works could include the provision of a home work space, a home treatment space and space facilities for a carer etc. The maximum grant in these cases is £10,000 in any single application.
- Enabling a disabled occupant to relocate to a more suitable property where this is a more cost effective solution to meeting the needs of the disabled occupant. The maximum grant in this case will be £2000 in any single application.
The application process, means test and assessment procedures will be broadly similar to the processes of the mandatory disabled facilities grant. Conditions of future occupation will apply that will last for 10 years from completion of the works.
For further information about the mandatory or discretionary disabled facilities grant please contact the housing team as follows;
Tel 01253 658658
E-mail housing@fylde.gov.uk
Or
Housing Team
The Town Hall
Lytham St Annes
Lancashire
FY8 1LW
