Habinteg’s Insight Group launches accessible homes campaign in Parliament | Latest news

Members of Habinteg’s Insight Group hosted a live panel discussion in Westminster to launch their new public awareness campaign for accessible housing, recently.

The campaign, Connected by design – the fight for accessible homes, is being driven by the diverse group of campaigners who work with Habinteg to champion accessible housing.

The panel event chaired by Lord Best, a crossbench member of the House of Lords, focused on the critical importance of making all new homes accessible and adaptable (known as M4(2) in Building Regulations), and the need to set percentage of wheelchair user homes (M4(3) in Building Regulations) in all local housing plans.

Panel speakers included:

•   Flora Butler, Senior Policy Advisor, Motor Neurone Disease Association
•  Laura Wood, Head of Influence and Innovation, ProCare Ltd
• Kerry Thompson, disability rights campaigner and Habinteg Insight Group member
• Martin Warhurst, Habinteg CEO
• Christina McGill, Habinteg’s Director of Social Impact & External Affairs.

Need for policy change

Lord Best opened the session by emphasising the importance of the M4(2) standard in improving housing for older people and in helping to create age-diverse communities in new larger developments such as new towns.

“If all homes are built to M4(2), we’d have all ages all living in the same community… intergenerational communities can be achieved if we have accessible housing for everybody,“ he said, before calling on Habinteg’s CEO.

Martin spoke more about the campaign, which launches at a time when housing policy continues to fail disabled and older people.

“It’s a campaign that’s much needed, as it seeks to educate the public about accessible homes, challenge misconceptions, demonstrate why accessibility benefits everybody, and why we need current policy to change,” he said.

Homes that work for all

Habinteg’s Christina McGill, told the 40 guests in the room, as well as 40 online participants, why the current baseline for homes built in England - the M4(1) ‘visitable’ standard - is not good enough.

“An M4(1) home is described as ‘visitable’ but it’s a misnomer because people with mobility issues or wheelchair users wouldn’t be able to stay for a full meal or overnight, due to space restrictions and design features,” she said.

She added that Habinteg’s recent Forecast for accessible homes 2025 shows there’s a widening postcode lottery for accessible housing, and that the government’s proposal for a 40% minimum delivery for M4(2) housing through its National Planning Policy Framework reforms is not ambitious enough, and sets no requirement for wheelchair user homes.

Preventative, not reactive

Panellist Laura Wood spoke about adaptations and how ProCare delivers its accessible bathrooms and kitchens. She says one of its main missions is to move away from the ‘reactive model’ that’s seen in the delivery of home adaptations to a more ‘preventative approach’.

“Homes are only adapted if there’s a crisis or a specialist need, and that could take a long time. M4(2) offers a framework to make homes more adaptable from the start… making small design decisions early can have a huge positive impact on people’s lives,” Laura explained

She went on to dismiss stereotypical views of inclusive design as sterile and clinical: “Inclusive, accessible home design can be beautiful, contemporary, stylish, and highly desirable,” she said.

Accessible homes a necessity

MND Association’s Flora Butler told guests that housing and health are inseparable due to the rapidly progressive nature of motor neurone disease (MND).

“The ability to have a house that you can change with your needs is key. Without proper home adaptations, people with MND and their carers are at greater risk of accidents and there’s also the need to access critical care, which involves equipment such as hoists,” Flora said.

She added that there are long delays to access grants for large home adaptations leaving people stranded in unsuitable homes : “And this is why making M4(2) the baseline would ensure that homes can be adapted quickly.”

Enabling independent lives

Habinteg Insight Group Kerry Thompson, a wheelchair user, shared her lived experience of an inaccessible home and how moving to an accessible home changed her life.

“In my old home, I was living to just exist, I rarely went out. I fought with my council for five years to get a bungalow and then Habinteg popped up and said we have a home for you,” Kerry said. “I now led a very active life; I have a part-time job, I’m a successful blogger, and I’m very involved with my community. I’d have never thought that this would be possible 14 years ago.”

View the panel discussion above or via our YouTube channel and share this story with your network on social media.