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FUNDING BOOST FOR OLDER AND DISABLED HOMEOWNERS

A Scottish Government programme which allows local authorities to fund adaptations to the homes of older people and others with disabilities, to enable them to continue to live independently, is to receive an extra £15 million from Communities Scotland this year.

The extra funding for Private Sector Housing Grant (PSHG), which brings the total to over £82 million this year, will help thousands of older and disabled people who need a grant to carry out adaptations or practical assistance through their local Care and Repair service.

The additional funding will also help local authorities prepare to implement the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, which gives them powers to make new services – such as specialist advice – available to homeowners who need to repair and improve their homes.

In addition, this funding, and all future PSHG funding will be distributed to authorities on a much simpler, and less bureaucratic, basis. This enhanced funding flexibility will also allow for any unspent PSHG to be held by authorities for use in 2008/09 and 2009/10. This will help authorities by giving them funding certainty, particularly where people apply for funding but the work takes place over an extended period of time.

Announcing the extra funding, Communities and Sport Minister, Stewart Maxwell, said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring everyone in Scotland has the right to live in a decent home.

“This additional Private Sector Housing Grant funding of £15 million will allow local authorities to raise the standard of living for some of the country’s most vulnerable residents.

“As part of our closer co-operation with local authorities we have told them that they will have over £68 million each year until 2010/11 and greater flexibilty in the year-on-year use of those funds.

“This will help thousands of people adapt their homes to support them to live independently, and will enable councils to fund new approaches to helping owners fund repairs and improvements.”

FURTHER INFORMATION

1. Private Sector Housing Grant will be rolled into the general Local Government funding from 2010/11 onwards. The measures outlined above simplify the programme and adopt some of the changes early: for example the ability to keep unspent allocations for use in future years, to help prepare authorities.

2. Changes to the PSHG programme have been produced over several months in consultation with COSLA representatives.

3. Allocations for the additionally earmarked Private Sector Housing Grant by local authority area for 2007/08 are as follows:

PSHG: 2007-08 ADDITIONAL FUNDING (£15M)

Communities Scotland was abolished on 1 April 2008. This is an archived site and the contents may no longer be accurate. If you are looking for information about housing and regeneration, please visit www.scotland.gov.uk For information about regulation and inspection, please visit www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk.