Council to apologise to family after mobility lift kept breaking down

Compensation will also be paid to disabled boy's family

Author: Chris TatePublished 7th Dec 2021

North Somerset Council has agreed to apologise to a family after a mobility lift kept breaking down in their home - leaving a disabled boy 'terrified of it'.

His mum says there have been multiple problems with the lift since it was first installed back in 2018.

The boy's mother has now asked the authority to remove it completely as he's able to get up the stairs himself. However, the authority has refused, saying he may need it in the future and taking it out of the home would cost around 1,300 pounds.

A recent ombudsman review sided with the council over it's removal, but did find the authority had raised the family's expectations that it WOULD be taken away. It told the council to apologise, pay compensation and draft a new policy for dealing with removal requests.

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