South London Disabled Woman Awarded £3,750 Over 20-Month Stairlift Delay
A disabled woman from South London has received £3,750 in compensation after waiting an agonizing 20 months for a simple home adaptation to be completed by her local council. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found that Kingston Council's prolonged delays in installing a stairlift caused the woman, identified only as Ms X, significant pain, distress, and deterioration in her quality of life.
Council's Failure to Meet Timelines
The case began in March 2023 when Ms X requested an occupational therapy assessment due to increasing pain and difficulty navigating stairs to access her bedroom and bathroom. The assessment confirmed her eligibility for support and recommended installing a stairlift through a Disabled Facilities Grant, which funds modifications to help disabled individuals live independently.
Despite classifying the work as non-urgent and simple—giving the council 130 days to complete it from March to July 2023—the authority failed to install the stairlift until March 2025. This represented a delay of 20 months from the initial contact, during which Ms X received no updates about the progress of her application.
Compensation Breakdown and Impact
The ombudsman's report detailed how the council's inaction forced Ms X to consider moving to a single-level property as her condition worsened. From December 2024 to January 2025, she placed her application on hold while exploring alternatives, meaning the council-caused delay totaled 18 months.
The compensation was calculated at £200 per month for the initial period when Ms X could still navigate stairs with pain, and £300 per month for later months when her access to essential facilities became severely limited. The report noted: "Ms X was close to no longer being able to access her bathroom and bedroom causing not only extra pain and discomfort but also uncertainty and worry."
Critically, the council provided no interim adaptations throughout this period, leaving Ms X without adequate support as her mobility declined.
Council Response and Service Improvements
Following the ruling, Kingston Council has apologized to Ms X and made the compensation payment. A council spokesperson stated: "We have sincerely apologised to Ms X and acknowledge the distress and difficulty the delay has caused her. We have since made meaningful improvements to the service."
These improvements include updated policies and procedures, closer collaboration with partner organizations, and significantly reduced waiting times. By December 2025, the longest application on their waiting list was less than a month old, demonstrating substantial progress in addressing systemic issues identified through this case.
The ombudsman has mandated that the council formally apologize to Ms X and implement ongoing monitoring to ensure similar failures do not recur. This case highlights the critical importance of timely home adaptations for disabled residents and the severe consequences when bureaucratic delays compromise essential services.
