Housing for the Elderly Disabled: FOI release

Information requested

• How many bungalows were allocated to the elderly disabled for the following years 2018 & 2019?
• And how many flats were allocated? Please itemise for each year.
• What number of these were new builds? And how many were old stock?
• How many of these were purposely built with disabled people in mind i.e.; adapted specifically.?
• Are the elderly disabled given priority to be homed in bungalows?
• Are the elderly disabled considered for flats as well as bungalows?
• How many bedrooms are they allowed to have in any given accommodation? Is there a maximum? If there are exceptions, what factors are they based on?
• Would elderly disabled people be considered for a bungalow ,if that property was allocated only on the "social housing list" & not on the over 55's list? And if not why?
• Can the elderly disabled applicant be on both lists? If not why?
• Does the council look at both lists when considering accommodation for the elderly disabled?
• Does the council specify how many bungalows must be allocated for the elderly disabled on new sites, when planning permission is sought for new developments?

Response

How many bungalows were allocated to the elderly disabled for the following years 2018 & 2019?
We do not collect or have access to allocations information but through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, the mechanism used to support delivery of affordable housing across Scotland, we delivered 592 homes specifically designed for people with disabilities. Of this number, 17 homes were designed specifically for older disabled people but some of the overall 592 homes may also have been allocated to older disabled people. We do not record whether they are bungalows, we only record whether they are houses or flats.

And how many flats were allocated? Please itemise for each year.
We do not collect or have access to allocations information but through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, within the 592 homes delivered, 105 were recorded as Flats. This was split as follows - 15 in 2018 and 90 in 2019. Nine of these flats were specifically designed for older disabled people.

What number of these were new builds?
In total there were 579 New Build homes in 2018 and 2019 combined, 239 and 340 respectively.
Of the 17 homes specifically designed for older disabled people all were New Builds - eight in 2018 and nine in 2019.

And how many were old stock?
Along with the 579 New Builds there were 8 Second Hand Open Market Purchases and five Rehabilitation Homes in 2018 and 2019.

How many of these were purposely built with disabled people in mind i.e.; adapted specifically.?
Through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme we delivered 592 homes specifically designed for people with disabilities. Of this number, 17 homes were designed specifically for older disabled people but some of the overall 592 homes may also have been allocated to older disabled people.
The figures above relate to Calendar years as requested, it should be noted that we generally report on figures by financial year.  However, In this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reason why we don’t have some of the information is explained below.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

The allocation of social housing tenancies is not a matter that we can help you with directly as Scottish Ministers or officials do not have responsibility for allocation of housing in the social rented sector.  This lies directly with individual local authorities and housing associations who are responsible for allocating social housing, including applications on medical grounds, and how they do this is set out in their allocation policy.

You also asked about how planning permission is sought for new developments. This responsibility lies with local authorities through their Development Plan and Local Housing Strategy (LHS) to determine the appropriate housing required in their area, informed by their Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA). These assessments are undertaken every 5 years and estimate current and future need for housing.
The HNDA evidence base informs a LHS that sets out the local authority’s priorities and plans for the delivery of housing and housing related services. A local authority should consider the number, location, type, size and tenure of housing required to address the need in their communities.

Section 128 of Scottish Planning Policy states that ‘Any detailed policies on how the affordable housing requirement is expected to be delivered, including any differences in approach for urban and rural areas, should be set out in supplementary guidance. Where it is considered that housing built to meet an identified need for affordable housing should remain available to meet such needs in perpetuity, supplementary guidance should set out the measures to achieve this’. 

You may be able to obtain the information requested by contacting individual local authorities or social landlords, the Housing regulators website holds a list of all social landlords, both Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and local authorities. Further information can be found at https://directory.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.