The DFG budget has been immediately increased by 20 per cent, taking the annual budget up to £146 million in 2008-09. The budget increases to £156 million in 2009-10 and then to £166 million in 2010-11. Over the next three years the total funding increase is £45 million, representing an increase of 31 per cent in funding.
Maximum grant limit will be raised to £30,000 from April 2008. The maximum amount of grant available for a mandatory DFG increases from £25,000 to £30,000. The grant limit will be kept under review, subject to further resources.
From April 2008 DFG applicants claiming council tax benefit, housing benefit and tax credits for those on low incomes will no longer be required to provide any further financial information in addition to these benefits.
People in receipt of working tax credit and child tax credit will no longer have these payments counted as income in the DFG means test from April 2008.
From April 2008 the legislation has been changed making access to gardens a specific criterion for entitlement for the grant, where this is reasonable and practicable.
Communities and Local Government will provide new national funding through the National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society for rapid repairs and minor adaptations from 2009, to enable around 125,000 more older people per year to get help with minor adaptations and repairs when they need it. For more information see chapter five of lifetime homes, lifetime neighbourhoods: a national strategy for housing in an ageing society .
Communities and Local Government are commissioning Foundations, the national co-ordinating body for Home Improvement Agencies (HIAs), to undertake the ‘Future Home Improvement Agency project’, drawing on expertise from within the sector and beyond to develop a service which will offer more and better housing options as well as more predictable and sustainable services for all potential clients. For more information see chapter five of lifetime homes, lifetime neighbourhoods: a national strategy for housing in an ageing society.
The proposal to rebadge the DFG to Accessible Homes Grant will not be taken forward at this time. The Government intend to revisit this, linked into work on the DFG application form and means test.
skip navigation 
Disabled facilities grant (DFG) - the package of changes to modernise the programme 
