Borough is rated county’s worst for disability grants
Home adaptations are not easy to come by
‘The DFG can be a very strenuous and complicated process. Mentally it can be very devastating on people where they become unable to move forward with their lives’
A report reveals Maidstone has one of the poorest records when it comes to disability assessment, with people waiting nearly two years to receive adaptations to their homes.
Many disabled residents across the borough are having to wait months just to be assessed for an adaptation to their home, and years to get the work done, says the Bureau of Investigative Journalism report.
A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is administered by local authorities to fund changes to the homes of disabled and older people, which are often key to their quality of life.
The DFG can be used to pay for works such as widening doorways and inserting ramps for wheelchair access, or installing a suitable heating system, providing access to bathroom facilities by means of a stair lift or a new ground floor bathroom.
Maidstone ranks second in England for those waiting the longest for the whole process to be completed, with an average time of 22 months.
The Bureau’s findings show huge variations across the UK, with some work completed in less than a year while others wait much longer.
The worst affected is Southend in Essex, where the time taken from first contact with the council to adaptation completion averages more than two years.
In Sevenoaks, it’s 12 months; Tonbridge and Malling 11 months and Tunbridge Wells without any recorded delays.
Sophie Fournel, chief executive officer of Disability Assist in Maidstone isn’t shocked by the new findings.
She said: “It can take a very long time to get homes adapted
so that they are more usable.
“We have a lot of people who are living in inappropriate housing, and the wait on the housing register for social housing which is accessible - like bungalows - is incredibly long.
She added: “The DFG can be a very strenuous and complicated process.
“Mentally it can be very devastating on people, where they become really frustrated and unable to move forward with their lives.”
Sophie, who has multiple sclerosis, applied for a grant for a downstairs toilet when she moved to Kent in January 2011, but gave up on the process.
According to charity Scope, there are more than 250,000 residents in Kent with a health problem or disability which limits their day-to-day activities
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said it had provided councils with over £4 billion to deliver home adaptations since 2010.