FI16215
Request
- How many households are currently waiting for wheelchair accessible social housing?
- How many wheelchair accessible homes are there in the existing social housing stock , occupied or otherwise.
Response
1. As at 27 August 2025 there are 248 households who have indicated that they need a level access property. Of these, 26 have told us they use a wheelchair indoors.
2. Wheelchair and accessible can be separate or combined as stated below.
- M4(1) Category 1: Visitable dwellings (the minimum standard that applies where no planning condition is given unless a plan sets a higher minimum requirement)
- M4(2) Category 2: Accessible and adaptable dwellings
- M4(3) Category 3: Wheelchair user dwellings
The Council is currently in the process of a 100% stock condition survey which will determine those properties with adaptations in the above categories. At the current time this data is not in an accessible format, and it will require a search of each property record where an adaptation has been carried out to determine what adaptations have been carried out and which of the above category it falls within.
As this information is not readily available and from our preliminary assessment, we have estimated that the cost of complying with this part of your request would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’. The appropriate limit has been specified in regulations and for Local Government it is set at £450. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 2½ working days in determining whether the information is held, locating, retrieving and extracting the data. I regret therefore, that on this occasion I must refuse this part of your request in accordance with Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act.