Midlothian Council Sets Annual Wheelchair Accessibility Targets

A target of building 20 wheelchair accessible homes in the county each year has been set by Midlothian Council, part of a wider initiative that will require all councils in Scotland to set such accessibility goals.

Half of the homes are intended to be private sector properties, while the other half would be social housing delivered by the council and/or its partners.

Stuart McKenzie, cabinet member with responsibility for housing at Midlothian Council, said: “Many thanks to everyone who took the time to fill in our consultation. What you told us has given us valuable information to help us set a target to address current and potential future shortfalls in wheelchair accessible homes.

“However, we would like to increase that target number if we possibly can, which is why we’ve agreed officers should go back and look at potential ways to achieve this.”

A recent report from the Housing Horizon Association and CIH Scotland, published in 2018, looked at the shortfall in housing for people in wheelchairs in the country.

Analysis shows that there are approximately 87,340 households with wheelchair users in Scotland. Calculating indoor and outdoor-only wheelchair users, it’s estimated that the number of households with wheelchair users that have unmet housing needs is 17,226.

Furthermore, supply is falling behind demand and, based on current health trends, it’s projected that an 80 per cent increase in wheelchair users will be seen by 2024.

Key recommendations included local authority targets for the provision of new and adapted homes that reach wheelchair user standard… so it appears as though progress is, indeed, being made.

 

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