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Council’s failure to repair door meant emergency services unable to reach disabled resident
The Housing Ombudsman has found severe maladministration for Stevenage Council after it failed to repair or replace a disabled resident’s faulty door-entry system.
The ombudsman made the ruling as the entry system was the only way for the emergency services to attend to the resident, and meant the fire brigade had to accompany the ambulance on numerous occasions because of their inability to access the flat.
The watchdog said the resident experienced worry and anxiety during the case and said he was still “extremely distressed” by the experience, “feeling that he was treated as if his life did not matter”.
The resident told the council multiple times over 18 months about the impact it was having on him, yet little action was taken. When options were provided to the resident, it was often far too late or not followed up, the ombudsman said.
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It found “no indication” that Stevenage Council considered the resident’s disabilities or its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 during this period, with no referrals from officers as part of its aids and adaptations policy.
The ombudsman ordered a director at the council to apologise to the resident and review its handling of the defective intercom, setting out an action plan to prevent future failure.
A separate review was ordered for the council to improve its complaint-handling, while the resident was awarded £1,250 in compensation.
Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said: “This investigation shows how what, on paper, was a routine repair had a significant and avoidable impact on a resident because the landlord failed to consider his disability.
“The landlord became immersed in process without considering a key policy it should have – its aids and adaptations procedure together with its obligations under the Equality Act.
“These failings meant, for 18 months, vital emergency service help which could save the resident’s life was impeded without the fire brigade’s intervention.
“While the formal complaints procedure did result in the outstanding repair being made, the landlord failed to recognise the impact and anxiety caused to the resident and did not offer an apology.”
Mr Blakeway added that the watchdog’s investigation underscored the importance of landlords recording and responding to vulnerabilities, something that will be a core focus of its next Spotlight report.
In a statement, Stevenage Council said: “We always aim to work collaboratively with our tenants and once issues are reported, to resolve these as efficiently and effectively as possible.
“Sadly, on this occasion, it would appear that this resident hasn’t received an adequate service, for which we sincerely apologise.
“We acknowledge that this case was not dealt with in the appropriate manner and would like to reiterate that the safety of our tenants is of paramount importance to us.
“As a result of these findings, collectively, as an organisation, we have taken steps to resolve this matter.
“Throughout this process, we have taken on board the learnings which have resulted in the implementation of new procedures and changes to our processes to ensure this situation does not occur again.”
The council said it has improved the process for handling housing complaints and introduced a team of “dedicated strategic complaint managers”, each responsible for an area of housing, who work together on cross-service cases.
“The recommendations suggested by the ombudsman have all been adhered to, including sending a written apology to the tenant around the failings that have occurred and paying compensation for the undue distress caused from this situation,” the council added.
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