Less than 1% of the housing approved in London between 2023-24 was accessible and adaptable for wheelchair users, according to data compiled by the Greater London Authority.
A study by disability charity Inclusion London into accessible housing in the capital found that 25% of respondents lived in completely inaccessible housing.
‘An accessible house offers someone freedom, dignity and safety’
Adam is a wheelchair user and discovered that his flat was not fully accessible.
He told City London News that “an accessible house offers someone freedom, dignity and safety”.
He had to wait for a Disabled Facilities Grant to adapt his bathroom and install a wet room. This left him feeling “undignified” and increased his stress, negatively impacting his health.
He described the changes as “completely transforming [his] life.” He’s frustrated that the flat was not built like this at the start.
The report would suggest Adam’s story is not unique.
One in six people told the report that they needed accessibility features to use the bath or shower.
Accessible housing “contains all the necessary features to enable the person living there to move around safely and easily, use all it’s facilities and enter and exit the home freely”
Barriers at Home Report, Inclusion London
‘The fact your home is inaccessible, generates a huge amount of stress and anxiety’
“Our housing system is systematically and consistently failing disabled Londoners”, says Tracey Lazard, CEO of Inclusion London.
The report highlights that local authorities are generally not aware of what accessible housing exists in their boroughs.
The report was launched last night at City Hall at an event hosted by Zoë Garbett, the Green Member of the London Assembly.
Launch Event at City Hall
Garbett highlighted that London’s housing crisis “means different things to different people” and disabled Londoners “have to contend with so many additional barriers to living comfortably”.
“Being unable to afford your housing costs, having the fear of being evicted, combined with the fact your home is inaccessible, generates a huge amount of stress and anxiety and can take a huge toll on people’s physical health and ultimately on their self-worth.”
Laura Vicinanza. co-author of Barriers at Home report
Disabled Londoners ‘priced out of rental market’
Nearly one in three families that include a disabled person are in poverty, according to the report.
Lazard explains that “many disabled people are priced out of the little accessible housing that is available.” She says that landlords can charge more for accessible adaptions.
Abbi shared the challenges of London’s private rental sector as a disabled Londoner at the event.
She said this means “often [having] no choice” to contend with poor conditions for longer periods. She also says that accessible flats aren’t simply about the flat itself.
“When I live in an accessible home, the impact on my mental and physical health is tangible.”
Abbi, speaker at the event
Accessibility extends to the wider environment of housing; over 50% of respondents to the survey conducted in the report said that their local area is not completely accessible for them. This includes access to transport and shopping links.
Mayor of London ‘committed to meeting accessible housing needs’
The London Plan states that 90% of new homes must meet accessible and adaptable standards, with 10% to be designed to be accessible and adaptable for wheelchair users.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said “the Mayor is committed to meeting London’s diverse housing needs.”
They told City London News that “the GLA is continuing to work with local planning authorities to improve data quality and therefore the insights on delivery performance.”
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Headline‘Our housing system is systematically and consistently failing disabled Londoners’
Short Headline'Our housing system is systematically and consistently failing disabled Londoners'
StandfirstDisability charity says 25% of respondents to the survey lived in completely inaccessible housing in the capital
Less than 1% of the housing approved in London between 2023-24 was accessible and adaptable for wheelchair users, according to data compiled by the Greater London Authority.
A study by disability charity Inclusion London into accessible housing in the capital found that 25% of respondents lived in completely inaccessible housing.
‘An accessible house offers someone freedom, dignity and safety’
Adam is a wheelchair user and discovered that his flat was not fully accessible.
He told City London News that “an accessible house offers someone freedom, dignity and safety”.
He had to wait for a Disabled Facilities Grant to adapt his bathroom and install a wet room. This left him feeling “undignified” and increased his stress, negatively impacting his health.
He described the changes as “completely transforming [his] life.” He’s frustrated that the flat was not built like this at the start.
The report would suggest Adam’s story is not unique.
One in six people told the report that they needed accessibility features to use the bath or shower.
Accessible housing “contains all the necessary features to enable the person living there to move around safely and easily, use all it’s facilities and enter and exit the home freely”
Barriers at Home Report, Inclusion London
‘The fact your home is inaccessible, generates a huge amount of stress and anxiety’
“Our housing system is systematically and consistently failing disabled Londoners”, says Tracey Lazard, CEO of Inclusion London.
The report highlights that local authorities are generally not aware of what accessible housing exists in their boroughs.
The report was launched last night at City Hall at an event hosted by Zoë Garbett, the Green Member of the London Assembly.
Launch Event at City Hall
Garbett highlighted that London’s housing crisis “means different things to different people” and disabled Londoners “have to contend with so many additional barriers to living comfortably”.
“Being unable to afford your housing costs, having the fear of being evicted, combined with the fact your home is inaccessible, generates a huge amount of stress and anxiety and can take a huge toll on people’s physical health and ultimately on their self-worth.”
Laura Vicinanza. co-author of Barriers at Home report
Disabled Londoners ‘priced out of rental market’
Nearly one in three families that include a disabled person are in poverty, according to the report.
Lazard explains that “many disabled people are priced out of the little accessible housing that is available.” She says that landlords can charge more for accessible adaptions.
Abbi shared the challenges of London’s private rental sector as a disabled Londoner at the event.
She said this means “often [having] no choice” to contend with poor conditions for longer periods. She also says that accessible flats aren’t simply about the flat itself.
“When I live in an accessible home, the impact on my mental and physical health is tangible.”
Abbi, speaker at the event
Accessibility extends to the wider environment of housing; over 50% of respondents to the survey conducted in the report said that their local area is not completely accessible for them. This includes access to transport and shopping links.
Mayor of London ‘committed to meeting accessible housing needs’
The London Plan states that 90% of new homes must meet accessible and adaptable standards, with 10% to be designed to be accessible and adaptable for wheelchair users.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said “the Mayor is committed to meeting London’s diverse housing needs.”
They told City London News that “the GLA is continuing to work with local planning authorities to improve data quality and therefore the insights on delivery performance.”
