Widow told she must wait five years for ramp

Marjorie Field says she is a prisoner in her own home until the work is completed.

Bradford Council and Bradford Community Housing Trust, which will do the work, have denied a five-year waiting list but did admit she might have to wait up to eight months.

Mrs Field, of Waverton Green in Buttershaw, has been confined to a wheelchair for about five years through Paget's disease which causes a weakening of the bones.

She has lived in her bungalow since 1993 and, because it has never been equipped with an access ramp, she cannot leave without assistance.

She said: "If there is a fire I cannot get out, so I rang social services. They said they could not do it for five years.

"I cannot understand why I cannot have it done. They said I could pay for it myself but I am not supposed to. It is the first time I have asked for anything in my life."

Bradford Community Housing Trust (BCHT) funds and arranges for the work to be done in its properties and the Council's occupational therapy section works closely with them.

Head of Bradford Council's services for adults, Peter Kay, said waiting times for assessments are being cut, but said Mrs Field should be seen in the next six to eight weeks.

He also denied that Mrs Field would have to pay for any of the work and added: "We are very sorry if anything that was said to Mrs Field led to this misunderstanding.

"The waiting list is caused by a number of factors such as pressure on funding, difficulty recruiting staff, quicker hospital discharges, more people living in the community rather than residential care, and an increasing number of people requiring our help and support."

Atis Krumins, disabled persons housing manager for BCHT, said: "Depending on the recommendation from the Council, a ramp adaptation would normally take approximately three to six months to design and construct in line with the specific needs of the tenant and in compliance with building and planning regulations."