Disabled mum feels ignored as she faces 23rd Christmas in Southwark flat she struggles to leave

Arthritis sufferer Michelle, who relies on crutches and a wheelchair to get around, has missed doctors appointments and is unable to run basic errands because of her difficulty getting down the 30 steps separating her flat from street level.

In October last year, Acorn Southwark—a community union supporting Michelle—emailed Labour council leader Kieron Williams on her behalf and asked for a meeting to chat about how her long-running situation could be resolved.

Despite initially receiving a positive response from his assistant, Acorn Southwark claim Cllr Williams failed to reply to multiple follow-up emails asking for him to confirm a date to meet Michelle, who is now 50-year-old.

Over a year later her situation is no closer to being resolved and Michelle, who also suffers from chronic back pain and lupus, fears her health deteriorating before she is moved.

She said: “He [Cllr Williams] is not helping me. He has just ignored me. […] I personally would like him to take initiative and get involved. It has been dragging on coming up to 24 years in January.

“I can’t get down the stairs. What happens if there’s a fire in this block? How do I get out? All these things should be of concern to him as leader of the borough. But he has made no attempts to intervene, to contact, to find out anything or to help.”

She added: “My mental health, as well as my physical health, has gone downhill. I’m not asking them for a palace. I’m just asking them for something that will make it easier for me to get out [of] the house. I’m cooped up and I can’t do the normal things people can do because I haven’t got the adaptions.”

Between December 2023 and August, Michelle said the council showed her five properties, but none of them turned out to be suitable for her needs. Acorn Southwark said that some of the flats suggested were so small a wheelchair wouldn’t have been able to fit inside.

Go beyond the story - sign up for our LondonWorld newsletter

Since the council restructured its housing department in August, Michelle claims things have taken a turn for the worse and she has not been shown around a single property for four months, while regular meetings with council staff have dried up.

Michelle said the council had previously told her it has struggled to find her a ground floor flat, because it has a lack of disabled-friendly flats with baths. She claims she needs a bath to be able to wash easily and a doctor recommended she be rehoused in a property with one in 2019.

Southwark Council didn’t reply to requests for an updated comment on Michelle’s situation. A council spokesperson previously described her case as ‘complex’ and said it ‘understood’ her frustration at not being able to move into a new property.

The spokesperson added: “The council’s housing teams have been working together to carry out all the assessments required in order to make sure the home she can bid for will definitely be suitable for her needs and that her banding and criteria are correct.”