North Swindon MP & former Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson, has welcomed the news that Swindon has secured more than £300,000 in funding to build new adapted properties for people with learning disabilities.
Earlier this year, the Government created a £25m capital fund to help develop housing solutions for people with learning disabilities across England. The intention was that local areas would use the funding to:
- stimulate change which promotes independence and choice over housing for people with a learning disability;
- improve community housing provision, helping to prevent people becoming inpatients or stuck in inpatient settings when their housing arrangements have collapsed.
During his time as the Minister for Disabled People, Justin actively worked to improve the life chances and independence of people with learning disabilities and worked with colleagues from the Department of Health and the Department for Communities & Local Government to improve the quality of adapted properties being built across the country.
Demand for the fund was high and a total of 122 local authorities submitted bids. An expert panel, convened to support the selection process, assessed 52 bids as successfully meeting the criteria, representing a diverse range of excellent, innovative projects.
Following this, it was confirmed that Swindon Borough Council has successfully secured £340,000 to develop three sites with 34 bungalows which will accommodate 36 service users with SMART technology.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: "As Minister for Disabled People, I pushed for improvements to be made in the availability of specially adapted homes across the country. It is fantastic news that, not only has Swindon secured this funding, but that it will be leading the way in developing the SMART technologies required. There is more to be done but, thanks to this fund, we are a step closer to delivering strong, sustainable local housing solutions for people with learning disabilities."