Bridgend home adaptation waits: what the 838-day figure leaves out

People receiving Disabled Facilities Grants in Bridgend waited an average of 838 calendar days for delivery in 2025/26, according to Audit Wales. The council disputes the emphasis of that finding: it says the average falls to 595 days when cases it identifies as Covid-related outliers are removed. Those figures describe different groups of cases. Neither is a promise about how long a new applicant will wait. Both the overall series and the council’s adjusted comparison show delivery taking longer than the previous year.

What the two sets of figures show

The audit, published on 17 September, records an overall rise from 799 days in 2024/25 to 838 in 2025/26, against a council target of 542 days in both years. In papers for the council’s 24 September Governance and Audit Committee, its response gives 558 and 595 days respectively after excluding Covid-related cases. The response does not provide enough case-level information to reproduce that calculation or establish how many cases were removed. The lower figures therefore qualify the headline average; they do not show that delays have been resolved. The council itself accepts that waits remain longer than it would expect.

Why the delay matters

Adaptations can include ramps, stairlifts, level-access showers and wider doorways, helping people use their homes safely and independently. The auditors warn that delays can affect health and independence and add pressure to other services. The report finds weaknesses in planning for demand, coordination between stages and evaluating whether adaptations achieve their intended outcomes. It also recognises improvements, including a single contact for applicants, an IT system, contractor arrangements and quality checks.

The council’s response

Bridgend accepts that the service needs improvement but says the audit does not give a balanced account of its current arrangements. It points to improvements in stairlift and extension delivery, new case-management systems and occupational therapy expertise within the grant team. Its response also challenges the breadth of the evidence gathered. The audit says fieldwork ended in March 2026 and confirms that it did not interview service users, health boards, contractors or housing associations. That limits what this report can tell readers about their direct experience.

What happens next

The council’s published action plan says it has appointed Ark Consultancy for an eight-week review covering the process, policy and delivery of the service. It gives September as the planned start and November 2026 as the expected completion period. That is a commitment in the response, not evidence that the review has finished or waiting times have fallen. The next useful test is the review’s findings, the actions attached to them and updated delivery figures on a consistent basis.

The limits of this comparison

The overall figures concern completed Disabled Facilities Grant delivery, not every small home adaptation or the length of the current waiting list. The audit also describes a different route for housing-association tenants. These numbers should not be applied to every household seeking an adaptation. Cover has not ranked Bridgend against other councils: the response warns that reporting methods differ. The audit and response are linked below so readers can compare the evidence and qualifications.