Dropped kerb 'despair' fiasco for elderly disabled couple

An elderly disabled couple are 'in despair' waiting for a dropped kerb at their home almost two years after asking for it and paying thousands for the work.

The couple from Goldsmith Road in Worcester have been asking for the dropped kerb since January but have yet to see it installed.

They spent months on a waiting list for a site survey and have paid around £2,000 for the work to introduce the kerb, fearing they will have to move house if the work is not finished.

Cllr Jill Desayrah, a Labour city councillor for Warndon and Elbury Park, has been supporting the couple, who do not wish to be identified, and lobbying Worcestershire County Council on their behalf, stepping in three times to help them.

However, she says the county council has 'washed their hands of the matter' despite taking the money from the couple, both of whom have mobility issues.

Both wanted the dropped kerb to help them access the car and make their lives easier.

RESPONSE: Cllr Jill Desayrah says Worcestershire County Council has 'washed its hands' of the matter after being paid money to oversee the installation of a dropped kerb for an elderly couple in Goldsmith Road in Worcester (Image: Supplied)

She added: "Eventually the surveyor judged the camber of the grass verge was too steep, but suggested that they apply for a disabled parking bay instead.

"The couple applied but were advised that they were not eligible for a disabled bay because they could build a dropped kerb. Exasperated, the couple contacted their city councillor, to ask for help."

Cllr Desayrah said she got the county council to concede a dropped kerb could be accommodated and the relieved couple paid in full for the work in January.

SHALLOW: The cables are not buried deep enough to allow a dropped kerb to be installed outside the couple's home in Goldsmith Road in Worcester according to a survey (Image: Supplied)

However, excavations revealed a further stumbling block - CAtelecoms broadband cabling less than 18 inches (around 10 inches) under the grass verge where the dropped kerb is planned, land that is owned by Citizen Housing.

Cllr Desayrah has been told the cables will have to be dropped to a lower level before the dropped kerb can be installed - and that the homeowners themselves have to request this.

"So, any further changes would be at the homeowner expense," Worcestershire County Council said in a response to Cllr Desayrah.

We contacted Citizen Housing who confirmed they have given permission for the work on the dropped kerb to be carried out on their land.

However, the county council contractor cannot proceed without further surveys and now the 'unlucky couple is being asked to foot the bill' with no clue as to likely costs, Cllr Desayrah said.

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The elderly gentleman said: “I’d like to know who signed off that this (cabling) job had been done properly." He described it as "a mess" they were being asked to pay for and added: "Why? We are not the landowners."

Cllr Desayrah said: “This is a sorry tale, showing a total lack of oversight and management from county council Highways, on this paid-for service. Why does it fall on the residents to resolve a situation like this?

"I’ve asked for Highways to step in and for help from senior management at Citizen too, because it’s time someone owned this mess and delivered what my residents have paid for. Without this essential adaptation, the couple will have to move from their much-loved home. I will be arranging a meeting with all interested parties asap, to try to get things moving at last.”

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council, said: “We can confirm that we have received an application for a Vehicular Dropped Kerb to be installed at this location. However, infrastructure that is owned by City Fibre sits within this highway verge and is not at a suitable depth for a dropped kerb to be installed. We are liaising with City Fibre regarding next steps and how we can move the situation forward for the residents concerned.”