Newark and Sherwood District Council approves increase in funding for Discretionary Disabled Facilities Grants

Funding to assist more disabled residents with essential home modifications and adaptations that improve their quality of life increased to £30,000.

Newark and Sherwood District Council have raised their Discretionary Disabled Facilities Grant to £30,000 and their Minor Works Grant to £10,000 to support the community.

It is a statutory duty of the District Council to provide Discretionary Disabled Facilities Grants for residents living in private sector accommodation, for example, their own home or privately rented accommodation, to make necessary adaptations to their homes.

Funding is granted to eligible applicants who need help to facilitate access in their home, such as adapting a room that is useable for sleeping, increasing access to a bathroom, re-arrange or enlarging a kitchen to improve manoeuvrability for a wheelchair and improving heating, lighting and power.

The maximum amount of mandatory grant that the District Council can pay for any single grant application is set nationally at £30,000.

In addition, they have the power to offer discretionary financial assistance as a ‘top up’.

The District Council has increased this to £30,000, meaning a single applicant can now apply for £60,000 of funding.

Furthermore, an additional element has been added to include reference to Armed Forces Personnel.

This change will make the grant process more attractive and simpler for the Armed Forces community who need to make vital adaptions to their home.

Funding for the DFGs comes from the Better Care Fund and is specifically ringfenced for this purpose.

Referrals for these grants come from the Occupational Therapy teams at Nottinghamshire County Council.

Councillor Lee Brazier, portfolio holder for Housing at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “It is great news that we’ve been able to increase the funding limit for our Discretionary Disabled Facilities Grants.

“It is incredibly understandable and important that our residents want to stay living in their homes as long as possible instead of a clinical setting.

“Therefore, the DFGs remain a vital service we offer.

“It is also great to see Armed Forces personnel now specifically included in our policy.

“Newark and Sherwood District Council are absolutely committed to the continued support of our Armed Forces community in the district and hopefully these changes will ensure that the DFGs process is more similar and attractive as well as demonstration of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.”