Aileen Campbell, SNP MSP for South of Scotland, has welcomed the publication of a report from Inclusion Scotland on the quality of accessible housing available in the South Lanarkshire Council and North Ayrshire Council areas and Scotland as a whole.

The report identifies what it sees as gaps and failings by local authorities regarding housing provision for disabled people in Scotland, as well as highlighting excellent practice and strategies that are currently in place.

The report highlights the Councils' decision to consult disabled people’s groups and organisations when setting the priorities of the Local Housing Strategy, South Lanarkshire Council's construction of over 100 very sheltered units to fully wheelchair accessible standards and North Ayrshire Council's construction of 69 ‘special needs’ units and 16 wheelchair units (around 6% of all new homes built between 2004 – 2008) as areas of good practice.

Areas of concern include the finding that South Lanarkshire Council estimate that the number of disabled people living in South Lanarkshire is around 93,950, while the estimate in the 2001 census is 63,465.  The report also finds that the Council does not know the average period a disabled person will wait for adapted housing.

Worringly the report discovered that North Ayrshire Council did not know when the current needs of disabled people requiring adapted housing will be met.  It also finds that that in recent years 10 adaptations have been removed from houses, but that the Council could not provide the financial costs of removing them.

Commenting, Aileen Campbell MSP said:

“People with disabilities and special access requirements across South Lanarkshire have a right to high-quality, appropriate housing that meets their needs.

“This report certainly makes interesting reading, and I hope the local authority will pay attention to its findings.  It is good to see that Inclusion Scotland have highlighted some successes in this area, as well as listing its concerns.

“A key lesson from the report is that ‘building-in’ accessible facilities to housing in the early stages can be much more cost effective than adapting homes later on, and I hope that as the Council starts to undertake a new council house building programme, it pays particular attention to this recommendation.”