Finding funding for constituents
How to approach constituent funding enquiries: general advice and resources

How can constituents find funding for disability equipment like wheelchairs.
This information should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice. Read the disclaimer.
Purchasing disability equipment can be very expensive for constituents. Below are links to some websites that outline the statutory support available to constituents.
This page also provides a list of some charitable organisations that may be able to help. Please note that these lists are not exhaustive.
Other organisations have compiled their own lists of grant providers: Scope and Better Mobility are some examples.
For general funding advice see the constituency casework article Finding funding for constituents.
A disabled constituent might be eligible for financial help via their local authority. Local authorities must carry out a needs assessment and develop a care and support plan for an individual.
Local authorities must provide the following services free of charge:
More information about these services can be found via the following links:
Local authorities can provide other support and equipment (such as wheelchairs) as part of a care and support plan. The authority can charge for these services on a means-tested basis.
They are available for essential adaptations to give disabled people better freedom of movement into and around their homes, and to give access to essential facilities within the home.
Scotland operates a different system whereby grant assistance may be available for disabled adaptations, although it is not issued in the form of a DFG.
See below for details of the schemes in each country:
Some local NHS Trusts offer wheelchairs under the NHS Wheelchair Services, but availability varies according to area. For more information on this, and other NHS advice, see the webpage Choosing mobility equipment, wheelchairs and scooters.
People in receipt of any of the following benefits are entitled to mobility vehicles and vehicle adjustments via the Motability scheme:
Others may be eligible following assessment. For more information, see the Library briefing the Motability Scheme.
Further information on funding for home adaptations is available in Age UK’s March 2021 briefing: Disability equipment and home adaptations. (PDF)
Money Helper also has several helpful webpages:
There are also several charities that can offer financial help to help disabled people purchase equipment, including:
Support for disability equipment for a disabled child, may be available through the local authority, NHS Trust and/or the Motability scheme.
Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 local authorities are under a general duty
to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need…by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children’s needs.
A disabled child is classed as a “child in need”.
The 1989 Act states that
every local authority shall provide services designed to minimise the effect on disabled children within their area of their disabilities [and] to give such children the opportunity to lead lives which are as normal as possible.
A local authority may charge for some or all these services however, depending on a means test.
Further information can be found in the Library briefing, Local authority support for children in need (England).
Disabled Facilities Grants are also available from local authorities: if they are for a disabled person under the age of 19, the means-test is not applied.
The Motability Scheme is available to children over 3 years old who receive either the:
Mobility aids may also be available from the local NHS wheelchair service following an assessment of mobility needs. The NHS website provides:
If you’re concerned about your child’s ability to move around normally, your GP may refer you to a physiotherapist to assess their mobility needs.
As part of the assessment, the physiotherapist will discuss mobility aids that could help your child, such as:
You can get contact details for your local wheelchair service from your GP or physiotherapist.
The charity Whizz-Kidz can provide children under 18 with mobility equipment that’s not available from the NHS. They also offer wheelchair skills training. Go Kids Go! also provides free wheelchair skills courses.
Information on Government and NHS support for disabled children is available at:
There are several charities that provide financial help to families with disabled children, including:
How to approach constituent funding enquiries: general advice and resources
This briefing provides information on the definition and identification of "children in need" as set out in the Children Act 1989, the assessment process, and the services available to children in need and their families in England.
A high-level overview of how individuals in England may access financial support from their local authority towards the costs of adult social care.