ADDING INSULT TO INJURY Yesterday I sent a message to Brighton & Hove City Council to inform them that ITV-MERIDIAN would open the local news with an update as to the progress that had been made regarding the council’s promise, back in October, to sort out Robert Carver’s accommodation within a matter of weeks. The reply I received seems to indicate that the new American President’s policy of ‘alternative facts’ has been adopted by Brighton & Hove City Council. It included: “The latest update on Robert Carver is we have offered him wheelchair adapted emergency accommodation appropriate to his assessed needs on two occasions. Mr Carver has refused these…..When making such needs assessments we have a duty to take into account all the written evidence from health and social care professionals that is made available to us…...In general terms, it tends to take longer for people to find suitable accommodation when they decline particular buildings or areas of the city.” The wording suggests that the problem is not the Council failing most spectacularly in their duty of care towards Robert Carver, but Robert Carver’s decision to refuse wheelchair adapted emergency accommodation appropriate to his assessed needs. Moreover, if he insists on ‘declining’ areas of the city not to his liking, he can expect to wait longer. Let’s take one of these offers which Mr Carver is said to have refused. By the way, it wasn’t Robert Carver who ‘refused’ this location in Whitehawk, but his medical experts and the Council’s own OT who made abundantly clear that this location was not “wheelchair adapted emergency accommodation appropriate to his assessed needs”. This particular accommodation was surrounded by steps, both at the front and back door. Pictures clearly show this yet still it is deemed accessible because......the Council couldn't possibly be wrong? The other accommodation offered to Robert Carver was Windsor Court, an emergency temporary accommodation in the heart of Brighton. When Robert Carver was first invited to view this accommodation the Council’s Housing Officer who would meet him there did not show up and the owner refused Robert entry. This led to Robert Carver spending three hours outside in the cold winter’s rain, after which he spent two weeks recovering from a severe chest infection. The Council never explained the sudden decision not to meet Robert as agreed, nor did they apologize. They did schedule another meeting to discuss what happened but this was cancelled when once again a Council Housing officer simply didn’t show up, without notification. The owners of Windsor Court made clear Robert would have to accept the room without being allowed to see it before hand. Nor would Robert’s OT and other experts be allowed to see it. To this day Robert has been refused entry to view the offer. Subsequently, the Council finally acted correctly in that they did, for once, “take into account all the written evidence from health and social care professionals that is made available to us.” At a meeting to discuss the Windsor Court offer all present, including Social Services and Housing, concluded that Windsor Court was extremely unsuitable and that the offer had to be withdrawn. Please note, that once again it wasn’t Robert Carver who refused anything, the council’s own experts and medical professionals decreed that it was wholly unsuitable (Please see my blog A Blight on Brighton – The Nightmare of Windsor Court for details as to this location). Half a year later, the Council made a spectacular U-Turn and pronounced the location acceptable and suitable after all. Apart from making this offer again, they also let Robert Carver know that the alternative was the withdrawal of duty of care, which would leave Robert Carver intentionally homeless, meaning the Council would no longer be obliged to do anything for him. So what progress has been made since the Council’s pledge to ITV that all would be sorted in a matter of weeks back in October? They offered accommodation in Whitehawk which they insist is wheel-chair accessible even though the wheelchair bound tenant would have to negotiate two to three steps to enter the property. They re-offered accommodation which they previously agreed was totally unsuitable. They are now suggesting that they have done their job, but that Robert Carver is being obstinate because he doesn’t like particular buildings or areas of the city – which is twisting the truth to an incredibly hypocritical degree. Social Services have downgraded Robert’s case to an annual review. The Council refuses to answer further telephone inquiries regarding the Robert Carver case, and will direct all e-mails and letters to one single person. Since the latest ITV-MERIDIAN report, Robert Carver has received news that his carer’s hours are going to be reduced – revenge or coincidental? Only a Council which has embraced Trumpist logic and ‘alternative facts’ could possibly label this as progress. I call it a total failure to meet their legal obligations mixed with an obstinate refusal to accept any responsibility and a possibly lethal dose of vindictive vengeance.