§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assistance is available for repairing structurally unfit houses owned by the(a) elderly and (b) disabled; and if he will make a statement. [148236]
§ Yvette CooperLocal authorities have wide ranging powers under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2004 to provide assistance for the repair, improvement or adaptation of any living accommodation in their area. Such assistance, which can be made available at the discretion of the authority, may be in any form, for example by way of a grant, loan or loan guarantee, and can be provided either directly by the council or through a third party. The Order provides that before using these powers the local authority must publish a policy setting out the range of assistance that they will make available.
Funding for this assistance is available from an authority's single capital housing pot and in 2002–03 total local authority expenditure in England on housing renewal grants (excluding disabled facilities grant) was £259 million.