Southwark (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A Southwark mum, Jade,recovering from major leg surgery is forced to carry daughter up three flights of stairs due to a broken lift in their Bermondsey flat.
After being diagnosed with a medical problem two years ago, her daughter Chloe had surgery on one leg for eight hours a few weeks ago. After recovering from the initial procedure, Jade’s kid is scheduled to undergo a second operation on her other leg.
Jade’s daughter uses a wheelchair and crutches while she recovers, but their apartment building only has a handrail on the first flight of stairs that her daughter can grab onto.
Jade says she told Southwark Council about her daughter’s surgery more than a year ago and is requesting to be relocated to a more suitable location.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) just before her daughter’s first operation, Jade said:
“[The council] has got to learn they can’t treat people like this, especially because we’re going into hospital tomorrow not knowing the unknown.
It’s going to take me longer trying to get my daughter up and down the stairs, and then I’ve got to try and make sure my four-year-old doesn’t fall down the stairs; he’s only little, he’s got little legs. I feel like I’ve been let down and I feel like [the council] just don’t care.”
Jade said she practised carrying her daughter’s wheelchair up and down the stairs but struggled. She said:
“It’s also going to be very weighty and I’ve got to try and make sure I don’t do my back in. It’s all concrete floor as well.”
Jade, who quit her job as a teaching assistant two years ago to care for her baby, claimed that the council informed her that a stair-lift could not be installed in her apartment building because it has a shared stairway. Although she has been bidding on properties every week and claims to be overcrowded, Jade is currently listed on Band 4, the lowest priority for rehousing, on the council’s housing register.
She feels that she has never been placed in a higher priority category because of her past rent arrears. Jade was placed in foster care from birth, and at the age of 17, the council granted her the apartment.
Her friend, Kathleen Coughlan, told the LDRS:
“Jade has challenged this for so long and all the council just keep holding onto is historical rent arrears which she’s been paying off. She’s paying her rent, she’s maintained that tenancy for 17 years. I don’t understand how she’s only on Band 4, I really don’t get it.”
She added:
“Just the simple fact of bringing a wheelchair up and down with a poorly child; she’s going to be very poorly afterwards as well. She’s not really being listened to. It’s the children that are in need, medically this can’t be right. They’re not listening, they don’t listen.”
Councillor Michael Situ, Cabinet Member for Council Homes, told the LDRS:
“Our priority is for all residents in Southwark to have a safe, decent home which fits their needs. There is a huge demand for social housing in the borough with a waiting list of over 18,000 households with varying requirements and accommodations needed.”
Mr Situ added:
“Despite the difficulties this presents we are rising to the challenge to build more council homes and do everything we can to support residents in transferring or transforming homes to meet their needs.”
What support services are available in Southwark for families facing accessibility issues after surgery?
The Southwark Council’s All-Age Disability Team provides assessments and may arrange care packages, short breaks, care arrangements, or personal budgets for eligible children and young adults with severe, long-lasting, or profound disabilities.
Social workers assess the situation and develop a care plan tailored to each family’s needs.
The Supporting People Programme offers housing-related support to help vulnerable residents—including families with disabilities—live independently at home and in the community. Support is accessed by referral from social workers, GPs, or voluntary organizations.