Disabled woman’s path still not fixed months after alarm raised

By Hannah Neary, local democracy reporter

A disabled woman is still unable to get in and out of her home without seriously risking injury.

Wheelchair user Elizabeth Davies has felt trapped in her own home because the route to her front door is covered in potholes – she’s been asking the council to fix the path for over two years.

Previously, the Local Democracy Reporting Service covered the issue and asked Westminster City Council why she had not been helped – but nothing has been done for two months.

Elizabeth cannot leave her property without her daughter or husband to help her due to the issue.

She has fallen twice when trying to navigate the route, most recently in August.

She said: “I’m still housebound I can’t go out if I want to go out on my own.

“I can’t leave without someone because I’m scared I’m going to fall again.”

She added:  “I haven’t been going out much. “Sometimes I just feel I can’t do anything.”

Karen Buck, Labour MP for Westminster North, said: “I have been chasing this with the council since August and have asked Westminster to fix it on previous occasions.

“I am baffled as to how this has been allowed to slip.

“They can spend £6m on the Marble Arch mound but leave disabled people trapped in their homes.

“There’s a catastrophic failure of priorities here.”

Now the council’s cabinet member for housing, Cllr David Harvey, said work will begin on fixing the ramp and walk ways early next month.

He added: “I understand how frustrated and disappointed Elizabeth and residents have been with the slow progress of fixing the path and I apologise for the delay.

“Everyone deserves to live in high quality homes and works have been carried out recently to make improvements to the estate.

“On this occasion, our high standards of repairs haven’t been met.”