'No stairlift and she'll be stuck - it's wrong'

Residents of a council-owned sheltered housing scheme are concerned about their future after being told communal stairlifts will not be replaced if they break.

People living in Saxon Close in Desborough, Northamptonshire, have also been informed that installing external lifts would be too costly.

Steve Crooks' 95-year-old mother, Joyce Harper, lives in one of the first-floor flats. He said if the stairlift went, she would effectively be "stuck" in a "box". "It's wrong," he added.

North Northamptonshire Council said: "Whilst the installation of an external lift was technically possible, it would have required substantial investment and significant alterations to the building."

Harper said she had been disappointed when she heard about the stairlifts.

"A little while ago I could do it myself. I'd go down by myself and even go to the dustbin, but I can't do that now, so I can't get about so much as I'm getting older."

"I'm quite happy here and I do not mind being upstairs if I could get downstairs, so I wouldn't really want to move," she added.

Her son said he would pay to hire a stairlift but said he had been told by North Northamptonshire Council that was not possible.

Maureen Williamson moved from a bungalow in Rushden to a first-floor flat about five-and-a-half years ago to be closer to her daughter.

She said: "One of the reasons I took this upstairs flat was because there was a stairlift.

"I have [the lung condition] chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a heart problem. I would never have taken an upstairs flat if this had been said."

The 85-year-old said residents who could not manage the stairs had been told other accommodation would be provided.

But she said she would not want that, adding: "This is our home. I love being here. I feel safe."

Roy Vincent has been living in his flat for 22 years.

The 88-year-old has asbestosis and COPD and uses the stairlift.

He said: "To actually climb those stairs two or three times a day, I don't think it's even practical, not in my state.

"At a pinch I could get downstairs, gravity is on my side, but coming up would be a struggle without the stairlift."

David Howes, a Desborough ward councillor, said "I am incredibly disappointed for the residents of Saxon Close and their families.

"For months, residents have lived with uncertainty while long drawn-out occupational therapy assessments, fire safety advice and technical feasibility studies were undertaken.

"Throughout all that time, they had been looking for reassurance that a long-term solution could be found."

The Conservative councillor added: "While I recognise the financial pressures facing every local authority, vulnerable residents who have built their lives around being able to live independently at Saxon Close deserve better than simply being told the solution is unaffordable."

North Northamptonshire Council said: "The determining factor in the council's position has always been resident safety and compliance with current fire safety requirements.

"Hazeland House and Saxon Close are sheltered housing schemes intended for independent living, and the council must ensure that investment decisions are proportionate, sustainable and consistent with the purpose of the accommodation."

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