Local Authority Funded Stair Lifts
It may be that you are not happy about paying council tax but there are times when you can get something back. As you age there are adaptations that you may need to help you to stay in your own home and in some cases you will be provided with a stair lift and both the cost and arranging installation will be provided by your local council.
Once you are aware that this is something you need you will need to apply to the Local Authority. They will send out an occupational therapist who will assess you in your home. They will decide if there is anything the authority can do to help you and this will include installing a stair lift. There is a limit as to how much they are prepared to contribute to your home being adapted, but the entire work is capped at £30,000. While this is a great deal more than a stair lift will cost, they may decide that you would benefit more from other forms of assistance and you still will not get the lift.
Local authorities have a certain amount of money that they can put away and it enables them to provide this sort of feature for their residents. It goes into a pot that is labelled as the Disabled Facilities Grant. Not all residents will be eligible to receive it and there will be an element of means testing. This only applies for adults, as if the recipient is under 19 years of age the lift will be provided. It still may not be installed right away, but you will at least be on the list. It is possible that they may decide you do not qualify at all and it will then be up to you to install one at your own cost. This does not mean that you will not get any help, but they will not provide you with a lift. If they decide that you do qualify, any benefits you receive will not be affected.
There is however one problem. Not all stairs are suitable, and even if the occupational therapist decides that you do need a lift and that they would be prepared to fund it, if the house is not suitable they cannot install one.
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Who Will Pay for the Local Authority Funded Stair Lift?
It will obviously take much longer to have the lift installed this way as there will be a waiting list and by buying your own you can have it installed within a couple of days. You will be warned that the whole process can take months if you are accepted but in reality if you go on a list it could be years.Local authorities have a certain amount of money that they can put away and it enables them to provide this sort of feature for their residents. It goes into a pot that is labelled as the Disabled Facilities Grant. Not all residents will be eligible to receive it and there will be an element of means testing. This only applies for adults, as if the recipient is under 19 years of age the lift will be provided. It still may not be installed right away, but you will at least be on the list. It is possible that they may decide you do not qualify at all and it will then be up to you to install one at your own cost. This does not mean that you will not get any help, but they will not provide you with a lift. If they decide that you do qualify, any benefits you receive will not be affected.
There is however one problem. Not all stairs are suitable, and even if the occupational therapist decides that you do need a lift and that they would be prepared to fund it, if the house is not suitable they cannot install one.
Why Do the Local Authority Fund Stair Lifts?
There can be an element of them taking responsibility for their citizens but there is also the financial savings they can make by helping you out. If you need to go into care they may well have to subsidise the cost of your care home fees and so it will be much cheaper to pay for your stair lift.Back to Top
