Government announces £50m increase to Disabled Facilities Grant

The funding boost, for 2025–26, is expected to support around 5,000 additional people to make changes such as installing stairlifts, ramps, accessible bathrooms and assistive technologies. These can include ceiling track hoists, height-adjustable surfaces, automatic door openers and smart technology to control lighting and heating.

The extra £50 million will be allocated to local authorities in February 2026, taking total DFG funding for 2025–26 to £761 million. Each year, the grant supports around 60,000 people, with the average award standing at about £10,000.

The DFG is designed to help people make essential adaptations so they can move around their homes safely, manage daily activities such as washing and dressing, and remain connected to family and community life. The government also points to the wider system impact, with home adaptations linked to preventing falls, supporting timely hospital discharge and reducing avoidable admissions to hospital.

Care minister Stephen Kinnock said adaptations could be “life changing” and help people remain at home “rather than face a hospital stay or a move into residential care”. He added that the investment formed part of a wider ambition to shift care away from hospitals and into community settings.

The announcement sits alongside broader reforms to adult social care. Ministers have reiterated their intention to establish a National Care Service and highlighted measures including an increase to the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold and a funding package of around £4.6 billion by 2028–29. This includes £500 million earmarked for a Fair Pay Agreement aimed at improving recruitment and retention in the care workforce.

Baroness Louise Casey is currently chairing an Independent Commission into adult social care, which is expected to make its first recommendations later this year. Her work includes gathering the views of people who draw on care and their families, and exploring options for longer-term reform with cross-party support.

Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms said the funding would help “break down barriers” for disabled people in their own homes, linking the DFG increase to wider commitments on disability inclusion across public services and employment.

Organisations working in housing and local government broadly welcomed the additional funding, while also warning about ongoing pressures. Paul Smith, managing director of Foundations, the national body for the DFG, said the extra investment would mean “thousands more people get a safer home, faster”, helping families stay together and easing pressure on social care.

The Local Government Association said home adaptations play a key role in preventing hospital admissions and supporting carers. Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor, chair of its health and wellbeing committee, said the grant is “a vital mechanism in supporting councils” to help people live independently and with dignity.

However, councils cautioned that demand continues to outstrip supply. Cllr Steven Broadbent, vice-chair of the County Councils Network, described the funding as “a short-term boost rather than a long-term solution”, pointing to rising demand, high construction costs and the need for sustained investment and wider reform of adult social care to avoid lengthy delays for residents awaiting adaptations.