Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the role of (a) maintenance and (b) continued supply of single-story homes in the ability of the housing market to meet national policy and guidance requirements on the provision of sufficient accessible housing suitable for the disabled and elderly; and what recent steps he has taken to help ensure that the housing needs of the disabled and elderly are taken into account in national planning decision-making.

This Government believes that offering older people a better choice of accommodation to suit their changing needs can help them to live independently for longer and feel more connected to their communities.

In 2020, we consulted on options to raise or make accessibility standards of new homes mandatory, recognising the importance of suitable homes for older and disabled people. We are currently considering responses to our consultation and next steps will be set out in due course.

As set out in our National Planning Policy Framework, local authorities should already assess the types of homes needed for different groups within in their community and reflect this in their local planning policies.

We continue to drive up the supply of new homes, by diversifying the market; investing in affordable housing; and increasing land supply for new homes by investing in infrastructure.