After 15 months of work, a City Councillor and County Councillor have finally seen their efforts to enable a resident to remain independent pay off.
Lansdowne Rise resident Rob Houghton was in hospital in February of 2023 when he received a phone call from Citizen Housing telling him that for reasons of fire safety, he would have to move his electric mobility scooter. Rob was dependent on his scooter for medical reasons and had been keeping it in a communal area inside his building at night. His wife Debbie tried repeatedly to get help in finding a solution to the problem and became seriously concerned that it would mean Rob losing his ability to get around.
After being contacted by Debbie, City Councillor Karen Lewing got in touch with Citizen and chased up the issue repeatedly. It took until November of last year for Citizen to inform the Houghtons that it had been decided that secure scooter stores would be provided for residents that needed them.
The work was eventually completed in October 2024, although Karen had to contact Citizen Housing yet again in the Summer when it emerged that the residents had not been given keys for the scooter stores.
Karen said “It was awful to hear that there were no facilities provided at all for residents who are reliant on mobility scooters for their independence. Not everyone has a car and it was really unacceptable there was this gap in support. I am very glad to have been able to help Rob, Debbie and their neighbours get this storage.”
In addition, County Councillor Matthew Jenkins requested the installation of a dropped kerb on the pavement at the Lansdowne Crescent side of the flats and asked Citizen Housing to install a gate on the same side so that residents would have a second step-free exit route.
Matthew said “We wanted to ensure that Lansdowne Rise became much more accessible for anyone who uses a wheelchair or scooter. It has taken a long time for everything to be put in place, but we hope these improvements will help residents to get around.”
Rob says ‘When I realized my declining health meant I’d need a mobility scooter, I was frustrated to find I had no safe place to store it and couldn’t even get to the pavement because of steps on the site, this could cause me have to move from the place I lived for over 45 years.” Rob shared. “Matt was quick to help with a dropped kerb, but I was disappointed that Citizen took so long to provide secure storage for my scooter. It was a real worry, thinking it could be stolen. Thanks to Karen, who raised our complaint with senior leaders at Citizen , I finally have the storage I need. Now, I can go out on my own and am no longer trapped at home. It’s hard to believe secure storage wasn’t provided from the start on a site for vulnerable residents. Thank you to Karen and Matt for their help with this.”