Ann Ferriday, aged 59, from Stoke-on-Trent, has been living at her current home for nearly a decade because the property was suitable for a stairlift
By: Fahad Tariq James Rodger
Get all the latest politics newsSubscribeWhen you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
A Staffordshire tenant who was controversially hit with a £170-a-month bedroom tax bill has won a legal fight for a council bungalow.
The triple stroke victim has been sleeping on the settee for months.
Council tenant Ann Ferriday, aged 59, from Stoke-on-Trent, has been living at her current home for nearly a decade because the property was suitable for a stairlift.
But seizures mean the triple stroke victim can no longer use the stairlift and she has been sleeping on the settee downstairs for months.
Now Stoke-on-Trent City Council has found a bungalow for Ann – after she turned down a room at a hotel, reports StokeonTrentLive.
Ann, who uses a walking stick, has a history of anxiety and depression, and is partially deaf.
She said: “My condition affects me badly because I can’t get up the stairs anymore. My social worker says I’ve got to move because I can’t climb the stairs – and I’m paying out £170-a-month in bedroom tax while I am here.
“The council offered me a place in The Crown Hotel which is not suitable for my needs. I have anxiety and depression and I can’t mix with people from there. The council was not understanding my needs.
“Then they offered me a room at Bradeley Village which is what I can’t understand. That room is £150 per week which they said they would pay the full amount for but they won’t pay the full amount on the house where I live now.”
She added: “The council has got a duty of care towards me. All I want is for them to move me into a bungalow so I am happy and can be safe. I am not safe in a three-bedroom house if I have to sleep downstairs.”
Councillor Carl Edwards, cabinet member for housing, said: “We have been working closely with Ann Ferriday on her housing needs, including offering accommodation which was turned down.
“She had specifically asked for bungalow accommodation, but due to the demand for this type of housing, it is not always readily available. Happily we are now able to identify a suitable bungalow for Ms Ferriday which meets her needs.”