Response 4093648

Response to request for information

Reference

4093648

Response date

11 September 2026

Request

I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act. This Freedom of Information request aims to understand how people with a terminal illness are supported to access timely home adaptations.

If some parts of the request cannot be answered within the cost limit, please answer as many questions as possible up to the cost limit. Please prioritise answering questions in relation to the mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant and other expenditure under your Housing Assistance Policy, including discretionary spending on adaptations. We have also included a request for supplementary data from the Housing Revenue Account.  

Please contact me if any further clarification is required. We would also welcome advice about how the FOI request could be refined to attain the remaining information.  

If possible, please provide answers in a spreadsheet. To avoid exceeding the cost limit, please provide aggregated data rather than individual case files.

Unless explicitly specified, for the following questions, please include data from mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant and other expenditure and figures under your Housing Assistance Policy, including discretionary spending on adaptations. If possible, please also include Housing Revenue Account data for adaptations to your own properties as separate figures for each of the following questions.

We have used the term potential recipient to refer to the disabled occupant who will benefit from the adaptation. This is because a landlord may apply for an adaptation on behalf of a disabled occupant and the landlord may consequently be considered the ‘applicant’.

We have asked questions about whether potential recipients have a terminal illness. Some schemes refer to people receiving palliative care. For the purpose of these questions, please use these terms interchangeably.

Please provide all data requested for 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years

1. What is the total number of applications for adaptations
   • received by the local authority and
   • how many of these applications were accepted by the local authority? 
2. What was the average time taken in working days, from first contact about an adaptation to that adaptation being approved for 
   • adaptations up to £1,000
   • adaptations between £1,001 and £15,000
   • adaptations over £15,001? 
3. What was the average time taken (in working days) from the approval of
   • adaptations up to £1,000
   • adaptations between £1,001 and £15,000
   • adaptations over £15,001 to the completion of the adaptation? 
4. Do you record whether potential recipients of adaptations have a terminal illness? 
   • If yes, what are the eligibility criteria to being classed as terminally ill?
5. If you do record whether potential recipients of adaptations have a terminal illness, what is the total number of applications received from or on behalf of potential recipients with a terminal illness and how many of these applications were accepted by the local authority during the following periods? 
6. Do you currently have a fast-track process in place to provide adaptations funding more rapidly to potential recipients with urgent needs?
   • Is terminal illness a qualifying criterion for access to the fast-track process?
7. What was the average time taken in working days, from first contact about an adaptation to that adaptation being approved of
   • adaptations up to £1,000
   • between £1,001 and £15,000
   • adaptations over £15,001 for applications under the fast-track route?
8. What was the average time taken in working days, from the approval of
   • adaptations up to £1,000
   • adaptations between £1,001 and £15,000
   • adaptations above £15,001 to the completion of the adaptation for applications under the fast-track route?
9. How many adaptations applications were not completed because the potential recipient died following first contact about an adaptation and prior to the adaptation being completed? 
10. Does the local authority waive means-testing for potential recipients of adaptations with a terminal illness? 
    • If yes, is this solely for potential recipients with a terminal illness or is it open more broadly?
    • If yes, up to what amount do you waive the means-test?
    • If yes, is it only waived to allow for certain types of adaptations? 
11. Does your local authority offer a Relocation Grant or similar support? These are grants typically offered to help with moving costs offered by some local authorities as an alternative to adaptations where it is more cost effective or beneficial to offer a relocation than adapting a property.
    • If yes, to what value is the Relocation Grant available?
    • If yes, is the grant subject to a means test? To what value?
    • If yes, to which tenure types is the Relocation Grant available?
    • If no, has the local authority conducted any assessments (including an Impact Equality Assessment) or reviews on the benefits of offering a Relocation Grant?
12. If yes, how many Relocation Grants were issued during the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years?
13. Do you have a different application and/or delivery process for the Relocation Grant if a potential recipient has a terminal illness? If yes, how is the application and/or delivery process different?  

Response

1. What is the total number of applications for adaptations
   • received by the local authority 2024/25 - 88, 2025/26 - 79.
   • how many of these applications were accepted by the local authority? 2024/25 - 88, 2025/26 - 78.
2. What was the average time taken in working days, from first contact about an adaptation to that adaptation being approved for 
   • adaptations up to £1,000 2024/25 - 120, 2025/26 - Zero, adaptations under £1000 are usually completed either by Nottinghamshire County Council HPAS service for owners and private rented properties or Housing Associations for their properties which is funded by Rushcliffe Borough Council.
   • adaptations between £1,001 and £15,000 2024/25 - 165, 2025/26 - 146. As a tier 2 authority this is calculated from referral date to approval date.
   • adaptations over £15,001? 2024/25 - 346, 2025/26 - 250. As a tier 2 authority this is calculated from referral date to approval date.
3. What was the average time taken (in working days) from the approval of 
   • adaptations up to £1,000. 2024/25 - 18, 2025/26 - Zero, adaptations under £1000 are usually completed either by Nottinghamshire County Council HPAS service for owners and private rented properties or Housing Associations for their properties which is funded by Rushcliffe Borough Council.
   • adaptations between £1,001 and £15,000. 2024/25 - 86, 2025/26 - 115.
   • adaptations over £15,001 to the completion of the adaptation? 2024/25 - 232, 2025/26 - 360.
4. Do you record whether potential recipients of adaptations have a terminal illness? No.  
   • If yes, what are the eligibility criteria to being classed as terminally ill? Not Applicable.
5. If you do record whether potential recipients of adaptations have a terminal illness, what is the total number of applications received from or on behalf of potential recipients with a terminal illness and how many of these applications were accepted by the local authority during the following periods? Not Applicable.
6. Do you currently have a fast-track process in place to provide adaptations funding more rapidly to potential recipients with urgent needs? Yes.
   • Is terminal illness a qualifying criterion for access to the fast-track process? Yes.
7. What was the average time taken in working days, from first contact about an adaptation to that adaptation being approved of. The Council does not hold the requested information in a recorded format that would enable it to be extracted through a simple search or report. To provide the information requested would require a manual review of individual case files in order to identify, collate and extract the relevant information.
8. What was the average time taken in working days, from the approval of adaptations to the completion of the adaptation for applications under the fast-track route? The Council does not hold the requested information in a recorded format that would enable it to be extracted through a simple search or report. To provide the information requested would require a manual review of individual case files in order to identify, collate and extract the relevant information.
9. How many adaptations applications were not completed because the potential recipient died following first contact about an adaptation and prior to the adaptation being completed? 2024/25 - 3, 2025/26 - 4.
10. Does the local authority waive means-testing for potential recipients of adaptations with a terminal illness? No.  
    • If yes, is this solely for potential recipients with a terminal illness or is it open more broadly? Not Applicable.
    • If yes, up to what amount do you waive the means-test? Not Applicable.
    • If yes, is it only waived to allow for certain types of adaptations? Not Applicable.
11. Does your local authority offer a Relocation Grant or similar support? These are grants typically offered to help with moving costs offered by some local authorities as an alternative to adaptations where it is more cost effective or beneficial to offer a relocation than adapting a property. Yes
    • If yes, to what value is the Relocation Grant available? £5000
    • If yes, is the grant subject to a means test? To what value? Yes, all subject to DFG means test.
    • If yes, to which tenure types is the Relocation Grant available? Owner and private rented
    • If no, has the local authority conducted any assessments (including an Impact Equality Assessment) or reviews on the benefits of offering a Relocation Grant? Not Applicable.
12. If yes, how many Relocation Grants were issued during the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years? Zero both years.
13. Do you have a different application and/or delivery process for the Relocation Grant if a potential recipient has a terminal illness? No. If yes, how is the application and/or delivery process different? Not Applicable.