News

Cardiff council has come under fire for failing to meet the needs of disabled people, writes Shirley Kumar.

A local government ombudsman report said it was concerned by the council’s “general approach of queuing disabled applicants at the enquiry stage” for lengthy periods so it can avoid processing applications within the six months statutory period.

Lack of staff training and budgetary pressures may have led to disabled people funding adaptations themselves or through a voluntary body because they were not being “correctly advised of their rights”.

The council’s failures were highlighted by a disabled woman who suffered hardship because she was forced to wait 18 months for a stair lift.

The woman who cannot be named for legal reasons won £1,000 compensation from the council because it “put her at risk” and forced her to sleep downstairs.

Cardiff council had ignored requests from her MP in December 2001 that her mobility was deteriorating and she could not climb stairs.

Since then the council, known to have a poor track record in assisting disabled people, had implemented a Disabled Facilities Service.

It has now agreed to implement the reports recommendations to improve its systems further when assessing the needs of disabled people.