To have not noticed my mother grew a new leg

[RunawayWife]

My mother is 66 years old and 19 months ago she lost a leg (careless I know) she is a wheelchair user and lives in a two bedroom council house, a house she can not get up the stairs in!! She is micro housed and has a bed in the living room (not too bad) and a commode in the kitchen (yes disgusting I know).

Now due to the housing benefit fucking up making a mistake a few years ago and not processing her claim and the council not telling her she ended up owing £5000 arrears she was asked to pay £3.00 per week and pays £10 instead to get it cleared up.

Now the council (Ealing) are useless, they will not move her to a suitable home and have tried to evict her for not cutting her garden (this has now been cut thanks to my sisters boyfriend cutting and my sister yelling at the council) The council are meant to cut mums garden as part of her care plane by the way)

Any way today mum gets a letter from Ealing council stating that SHE HAS NO DISABILITY'S so clearly she has regrown her missing leg and I did not notice, either that or Ealing council are a bunch of WANKERS silly people.

AAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH

Ugh.

Hope it gets sorted.

Is a missing limb regarded as a disibility by them? I'm being serious btw, because I used to work for the benefits agency and some of the things that were turned down as disabilities astounded me. Could the council be that way too?

No the woman from the council came to visit mum last week and wrote a long assessment of her needs due to her being disabled!!!

These people are idiots

They are idiots, but in light of that, my assumption would be that this is a genuine mistake. Call them in the morning and see what they say.

My sister has already spoken to them and they are not willing to move mum I wonder if thay would leave their own mothers having to shit go to the toilet in the room they cook in.

I am going to look at private renting for mum.

My sister is having cancer treatment at the moment and does not need the stress of dealing with they compleat morons (she is much better at dealing with these things then me though as she was a city banker till the cancer came back and is good with dealing with inferior idiots this sort of thing.

God how frustrating.

I'd put in an official complaint (you can usually do it through a council's website) and mention in there that if it isn't sorted you will take the complaint to the local govt ombudsman. IME it's the only threat they listen to. You have to go through the procedure, but complaining via the website should be a stage 1 - this has to be responded to within so many days. I think it's after stage 3 you can go to the ombudsman but tbh if you threaten it in the first complaint they usually get off their arses and sort something out.

I can see why you are pissed off.

Is she on a housing list for a ground floor flat/ bungalow?

oh and many more i cant believe they have yet again messed up with your mum.

That is just rediculous and something your family dont need to deal with right now.

Hope you get it cleared up soon wifey

Jesus what a bunch of idiots.

I'd be inclined to put in a formal complaint and cc it to your Mum's local MP, asking him/her to at the same time back her application for more suitable accommodation.

I'd also make it perfectly clear that if I failed to get results within a specific period of time I'd be calling the Press.

PS make sure you get everything in writing, by snail mail or electronically and NEVER EVER discuss anything on the phone, no matter how sympathetic and helpful the council officer appears to be - voice of experience speaking.

Or if you do discuss anything on the phone get the persons name and email addy
Follow up the phone conversation with an email stating such and such was said and such and such agreed

I hope you can get something sorted soon
Have you thought about writing to your local councillor and maybe even MP

aaaw wifey.

How come she ended up owing the council £5000?

Incidentially if they aren't hassling her for the money and it is the court that specified the amount she has to pay that just let her pay the £3 per week. Keep the rest for herself.

I really hope you get someone helpful on the phone tomorrow.

Oh this really is an awful situation. Of course the most nonsensical thing of all is that your mum has a 2 bed place that could be used by a family if the council would get their asses in gear and give her somewhere suitable.

FWIW, I would make as much noise as possible, in as many different ways as I could. Get the local paper involved, they love to jump on the council over stuff like this.

Best of luck.

Not helpful :(

Kick up a huge fuss, call the local press, be on the phone to the council till they're sick of hearing about it...

I would contact your local MP as well. Send them a letter detailing all the problems and a copy of Ealing's letter saying she has no disability. Its amazing how quickly problems start to melt away when MP's and the local press get involved.

I sympathise Wifey, we are in a similar possition, we are in a coomodation that is totally unsuitable for health reasons and we are getting nowhere with the council.

I hope you get this resolved soon.

If there is a care plan in place this is AFAIK a legal document [or so my Nana's Dr said] It is also part of the European Human Rights of the Elderly/disabled.
Who wrote the care plan? Can you go back with it to the council with a letter from GP stating the disability? Also what does district nurse and or environmental health say about the commode in the kitchen? Sorry to ask such a basic question but Is the toilet/bathroom upstairs? if so how is the commode emptied and how is her personal hygiene managed? Can a council house a person in a house without access to a bathroom, Contact your local councillors and your MP. Do you have an MEP in the area contact them to [remember they also need to be re elected] and the Care plan is a European directive as well as an UK directive.
Also if they have treviewed and changed her care plan it should be reviewed after 6 weeks to check it is working,
I hope you get this sorted soon your poor Mum.
www.nhs.uk/Planners/Yourhealth/Pages/Careplan.aspx this says you can ask for a review of the care plan www.sefton.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=3166

Go and see your MP, they should hold regular surgeries. If he/she is of a different political persuasion to the council they may love this. Even if they are the same party they can be helpful.

Thanks everyone, I will let you know how we get on x

Bloody hell Wifey, just what your sis doesn't need.

Def agree with LucyLouLou. I work within local council for disability services and the person who shouts the loudest and complains the most gets exactly what they want. The bosses just can't be bothered with the hassle and paper work.

Threating with MP usually works and if not, actually going to your MP and getting them to contact the directorate should seal it for you. It may not be in your nature to compalin but if you could just pull it out of the bag and have a bit of a shout and a 'let me speak to your head of directorate' type spiel then it may have positive results for your Mum.

Am at my friend in Ealing's house tonight.

She says there are a few good Ealing politicians around - Nigel Sumner (Tory councillor), Stephen Pound (Labour MP) for example. Can you find one to befriend and seek advice from?

She says that Ealing Council put out a magazine which shows when both MP and councillor surgeries are. You could go to those for advice.

You can find your mum's ward here:
www.ealing.gov.uk/services/council/councillors/councillors_by_ward/

Hope this helps.

Ramona, thank you for link, will be getting emails sent off. x