The Royal Borough of Greenwich has reduced the number of households waiting for a wheelchair accessible council home from 256 to 147 over the past year.
This is largely thanks to a huge increase in the amount of social housing the council has built since 2019, 10% of which is adapted for wheelchair users.
Most of the reduction has been in the number of people waiting for a two bedroom property, which is by far the most popular size of accessible new build council home.
Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich said:
“When we set up the 1,750 home Greenwich Builds programme we made it our mission to reduce the unacceptably high number of people waiting for a place to live that was adapted for wheelchair users.
We have met our target of making one in 10 homes wheelchair accessible, resulting in a fantastic 42% reduction in the number of households waiting for these properties.
With hundreds more homes currently under construction we believe it will be possible to continue this trend with further reductions in the coming months and years, transforming life for this group of residents.”
The council’s drive to build new accessible homes doesn’t just benefit tenants, it is also more efficient than carrying out expensive adaptations to existing buildings to modify them for wheelchair use. Figures from other local authorities indicate that the saving could be as much as £1m per 80 homes.
The current total of all new social housing delivered by the council since 2020 is 588, with hundreds more under construction. One in 10 are wheelchair adapted and this is expected to lead to further reductions in the waiting list for accessible homes as more schemes are completed.
The council recognises that households needing large accessible homes, or who have specific housing needs, are currently facing a longer wait for a suitable home. We are working to provide housing that meets all needs, using existing council homes as well as new build developments.