Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle (a) delays, (b) administrative burdens and (c) the availability of approved contractors to improve the operation of the Disabled Facilities Grant.

The Government recognises the importance of timely and efficient delivery of home adaptations, including through the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), to help enable older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. Local Authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Government guidance Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) delivery: guidance for local authorities in England on the effective delivery of the grant, sets out best practice delivery to meet statutory timescales. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a decision on a DFG application within 6 months of receipt, and the works must usually be completed within 12 months of the approval date. This guidance also outlines how councils can develop a local housing assistance policy to improve efficiency and better address the needs of their local communities.

Government also funds a national body for DFGs and home improvement agencies, currently Foundations, to provide support and advice to local authorities to help them deliver the DFG as efficiently as possible. In December 2024 Foundations launched the Home Adaptations Installer Network, Introducing the Home Adaptations Installer Network: Raising the Bar for Quality and Trust a tool for engaging with TrustMark registered contractors to deliver home adaptations.

Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. As part of this, government is consulting until 16 September 2025 on a new approach to the way government allocates capital DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. The consultation can be accessed here.