Disabled housing grants cut by local authorities

PEOPLE with disabilities are being forced to live in miserable conditions because house improvement grants are being curbed by local councils, according to the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA).

At its annual conference, the association heard that many county councils and other local authorities are limiting the amount of assistance families can receive to adapt homes for people with disabilities.

The maximum grant allowed by the Department of Environment regulations is 20,000, but the IWA says many councils have introduced caps as low as 6,000.