London council fined for failing deaf man
A London council has been fined for repeatedly failing a profoundly deaf man who was making a homeless application.
The local government ombudsman found Redbridge Council failed to take sufficient account of a man’s hearing disability when dealing with his application, forcing him to live in temporary accommodation for two years longer than necessary.
The ombudsman’s report states: ‘The faults I have identified in this matter demonstrate a failure by the council to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to make “reasonable adjustments” to enable disabled people to access services.’
The man complained that the council failed to respond to his needs between July 2006 and October 2007, despite an earlier complaint in October 2006.
The ombudsman found the council failed to interview the man with a British Sign Language interpreter on two occasions, despite being aware he could not communicate effectively without one.
It also failed to supply a textphone so that he could contact the council’s housing advice centre.
The problems delayed the processing of the man’s housing application by almost a year.
He was awarded £750 for the council’s failure to provide an interpreter and a textphone facility, and a further £500 for him having to live in temporary accommodation for longer than necessary.
The council said it accepted the findings of the report, and has apologised to the man and paid the compensation.
Director of community services Simon Barry said: ‘Since this case came to light, we have taken several steps to make the service more accessible, including a new texting service and deaf awareness training for all frontline staff.’
