New housing for wheelchair users in Leicester

Wheelchair users will have the opportunity to bid for 100 new adapted homes that will soon be available on Leicester City Council's housing register.

The affordable housing, which will be let by Leicester City Council and five housing associations, has been funded with the help of over £50million of government funding that was secured last summer.

The homes will include one and two bedroom flats, and two, three and four bedroom houses, in several sites across the city and will all be sustainable - which means they will be very energy efficient and economical to heat.

Properties will be let to applicants on the council’s housing register through the Leicester HomeChoice Scheme, with the first batch of new homes will be ready in December this year.

Applicants who have previously been assessed as wheelchair users, will be contacted by the council when the new homes are ready to be advertised through the Leicester HomeChoice scheme.

Some of the homes will be customised to meet the individual needs of their new tenant.

People interested in the new homes are encouraged to put their names on the housing register and if they have a social worker, let them know.

Councillor Westley said: “We know how important it is that people who have to use wheelchairs keep their independence. Having a properly adapted home is a very important part of that. I am delighted that these new homes will be available in the coming year.

"We currently have over 100 households on our register that need wheelchair housing and people join the register all the time. We are going to be able to make a big difference for lots of people in Leicester."