The Centre for Ageing Better and nine organisations from across the housing and charity sectors are today warning of a crisis in the provision of suitable housing for older and disabled people as they launch a new coalition to campaign for accessible homes.
As parliament dissolves ahead of a general election, Housing Made for Everyone (HoME) has published an open letter calling on the next government to take greater action to secure housing suitable for all.
Recent research showed that less than half of local housebuilding plans in England included provision for accessible homes. Meanwhile the number of households headed by someone aged 65 and over has increased by more than a million since 2010/11. By 2030, projected figures suggest that there will be just one new accessible home built for every 15 people over the age of 65.
Previous commitments to consult on the mandatory building regulations for new homes have not been acted on. The HoME coalition is calling on the next government to urgently consult to ensure that all new homes are built to Building Regulations, Volume 1, M4, Category 2 standards, meaning that they have basic accessibility features that make them suitable for a range of occupants, and can be easily adapted to meet further requirements.