Disabled man in driveway row with Leeds City Council after being denied spot four times

Lee Thornton, 48, of Boggart Hill Gardens near Roundhay Park, has approached Leeds City Council on four separate occasions in the past year to request a hard-standing and dropped kerb to the front of his property to improve his safety in moving from his car to his house.

The request has however been repeatedly denied with council ruling the request ‘not mandatory’, having advised in the past that there would be no further adaptions to the property.

Speaking to the YEP, Lee who suffers from Diabetic neuropathy, explained that he is forced to park the car on the main road outside the house and occasionally down the street to make his way up – a distance which can take him 20 minutes to walk.

He said: “I don’t have much feeling in my feet so when I park the car I have to park it so the door opens onto the pavement so that I can get out safely because if I park the other way I would be worried about getting squashed as I can’t get out the car very quick.

"I approached council last March/April and at first they said it ‘wasn’t feasible’ then I appealed and they said we had been told at our viewing there would be ‘no further adaptions’ to the property but we were only told that was internally then I was told we needed a fourth bedroom for our children so should move.”

Having had a highways engineer come out to assess the possibility of a blue badge spot, Lee was advised that a driveway would be preferable to better ensure his safety and guarantee the parking spot.

Lee, who originally had the property adapted to allow for a wet shower and stairlift, was told during the latest refusal that the council would only consider the change if there were ‘transfer issues at the roadside which could include wheelchair users’.

He said: "Physically it’s hard work and even parking outside the house, in this weather, I’m opening the door onto a grass verge. It’s really slippy and I’m just so frightened that I am going to go over.

"Mentally I suffer with anxiety and depression which I am on medication for but it’s just been a lot of pressure and a lot of upset and disappointment. I just don’t understand the problem because it feels like they aren’t giving me a valid reason for why they can’t do it.”

Lee has been invited to attend the next appeal hearing to explain his continued displeasure and the council has awarded him Band A priority on housing applications to help re-house him into a more suitable property.

In a statement provided to the YEP, a Leeds City Council spokesperson, said:

“We have engaged with the tenant but unfortunately the request does not meet the requirements for the work to take place. We are looking to help the tenant move to a new property as a priority.”