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Minister announces 2009-10 Disabled Facilities Grant Local Authority Allocation

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT News Release (306) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 10 December 2008

Housing Minister Baroness Andrews today announced how much funding each local authority will get to help disabled and older people stay in their homes through the Disabled Facilities Grant Programme. The Government is making £157m available to local authorities in England for 2009-10 through the programme, with over 230 local authorities receiving an increase. Baroness Andrews said:

"This funding provides a lifeline to thousands of disabled and older people across the country, which is why we have increased the grant again this year.

"Providing something as simple as a ramp can really make the difference between being able to stay in your home and having to leave and this is exactly how the Disabled Facilities Grant helps - it gives people the opportunity to stay in their homes and communities, near friends and family."

The Disabled Facilities Grant programme has seen successive increases in funding in recent years increasing from £57million in 1997 to £146million in 2008-09. This funding helps around 37,000 disabled and older people each year to live as comfortably and independently as possible in their own homes through the provision of adaptations such as stair lifts and level access showers.

This year the Government also made changes to assist ex- service personnel with applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant, following the MOD command paper published in the summer. Amongst the commitments contained in the paper is that MOD compensation schemes for the most severely disabled personnel will be exempt from the Disabled Facilities Grant financial test. These changes will come into force on the 31 December 2008. Notes to editors

DFG allocations in 2009/10

1. The Government Offices for the Regions allocated the regional budget using local knowledge of demand and pressures along with disability needs indicators.

2. The allocations to each local authority can be found in detail on the CLG website at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/supportandadaptations/housingadaptations/localauthoritydfgallocations/ . Government Offices will be writing out to individual local authorities with the details in the near future.

3. The Government has substantially increased funding for the DFG programme as set out in the table below:

Government subsidy for the DFG programme (£million)

1997/98        56 1998/99        59 1999/00        65
      2000/01        72 2001/02        87 2002/03        88
      2003/04        99 2004/05        101.5 2005/06        103.3
      2006/07        121 2007/08        127 2008/09        146
      2009/10        157 

4. These figures represent the contribution the Government plans to spend on DFGs during 2009/10. Local Authorities are required to contribute any expenditure above these allocations from other resources.

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