Labour: Thousands of disabled Scots let down by lack of accessible housing The party said it wanted to put the issue at the heart of its manifesto for the 2021 election

Thousands of disabled people across Scotland are being let down by a lack of accessible housing, Labour has said as it promised to put the issue at the heart of its manifesto for the next election.

The party said the nation’s chronic shortage of homes suitable for disabled people had “far reaching consequences” and was robbing them of the ability to lead independent lives.

“The crisis facing disabled people’s housing in Scotland has gone on for too long” The i politics newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription. Pam Duncan-Glancy

It has now appointed disability rights campaigner Pam Duncan-Glancy to lead a public consultation on accessible housing, which will feed into its existing housing commission.

The commission is set to propose a radical shake up of the sector and will form a key part of Labour’s manifesto ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

The party decided to act after a report by the UK’s human rights watchdog described a lack of accessible housing as a “hidden crisis” in Scotland, which is set to get considerably worse.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission report, published in May, found that many disabled people are unable to leave their homes or are forced to live in a single room.

Some rely on family members to carry them upstairs or between rooms, with their mental health suffering due to lack of suitable housing and long waiting lists for adaptations.

In January, i revealed how almost 10,000 disabled people across Scotland are waiting for more suitable council houses – with one person requesting a change of property in 1969.

‘Crisis’

Ms Duncan-Glancy, who is Labour’s candidate for the Westminster constituency of Glasgow North, said: “I am delighted to be asked to lead Scottish Labour’s consultation on accessible housing.

“The crisis facing disabled people’s housing in Scotland has gone on for too long, with far reaching consequences.

“Without accessible, affordable housing, disabled people find it harder to access education, employment, social and recreational activities.

“It is right at the heart of what it takes to ensure disabled people can enjoy our human rights and it should be right at a heart of housing policy in Scotland.

“Thousands of disabled people across Scotland are being let down, any serious response to the housing crisis needs to factor that in.”

The move was welcomed by the charity Inclusion Scotland, which produced a 2016 report showing how significant numbers of disabled people live in houses where they cannot wash themselves.

“We have evidence aplenty about the impact of the chronic shortage of accessible homes across Scotland,” said policy officer Susie Fitton.

“We know how to build accessible homes and we have a fair idea of how much it costs to do so.

“What we lack is a co-ordinated approach to policy, design standards, practice and funding that tackles this issue head on and across all tenures.”

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “Our Disability Delivery Plan sets out a number of commitments to support disabled people to have access to homes built or adapted to enable them to participate as full and equal citizens, including ensuring each local authority sets a target for the delivery of wheelchair accessible housing.

“We’re also working with health and social care partnerships, disability organisations, and the housing sector to ensure those in need of adaptations to their home can access those services.”