So fed up

You need to be like my Mum annie council spent ages umming and ahhing over whether she could install a chair lift in a common area - without it she would be housebound - we as a family thought sod it and installed the chair - she is 97 and if they say uninstall I am sure we could spend quite a while prevaricating and taking it to court etc. and Mum is after all 97?!

That's so depressing, Annie. The Tory party are the only party who promised to keep the bedroom tax. Even the Libdems said they would get rid of it. That would mean a single person could have a two bedroomed bungalow without being penalised.
I've never understood why two bedrooms is not considered the minimum for any home.
Before anyone says anything, this is political. It's about allowing people to have dignity.

Buy a scooter cover, it will be a cheaper option than paying a carpenter and presumably if it's a shed it will be raised off the ground so you need a ramp to get it in?

Remember wherever you store it if it is inside a building you either have to drive it in or push it in so it can be awkward .

This Job's Worth stuff is so very tedious anniebach and you have all my sympathy. As t the nonsense about not being able to tell you the gradient of the hill - I have never heard the like.

Is there some sort of community transport in your area that might be cheaper than a taxi?

Personally I would go straight to MP and cut out the middle men. Any new MP will be wanting to prove that they care about their community, so give him/her a ring and see what transpires.

I too live on a very steep hill and no way would a scooter cope with it - like the Olympic ski run!

Good luck.

jen, I am willing to pay the extra rent , when my younger daughter and husband visit from Lincolnshire they have to stay in a hotel, what angers me is they will allow a single person to have two bedrooms in villages because people don't want to move out to areas with very poor public transport

whitewave, I am tempted to have the door taken off, they wouldn't even know .

Jumping , hopping mad, just received phone call, the council have erected a lock up scooter shelter for a lady who lives other side of town ,

annie exactly - sod it!

Anniebach, I'm joining you on the hopping made front. I 2nd Mishap's advice to go to your MP. When I was working in SSD (now adult services, till the name changes again) letters from MP's went straight to the director, who bounced them straight to the area team manager with the request "sort this". I'm sure things haven't changed that much.

Would buying a scooter cover provide enough security if you were to leave an expensive item like a mobility scooter outside? I'd feel uneasy about that, though I don't know your area of course. I do know that garden shed robberies are very common.

The 2 bed/bedroom tax issue has been discussed a number of times on gransnet and as you know, feelings are mixed. My own view is that as one bed bungalows/flats are as rare as hens teeth the government should be magnanimous and until they've started building such properties, they should stop penalising folks with no where suitable to move to. Best of luck with this one annie - could Age Concern give any practical advice or support?

Annibach no wonder you are upset.

Surely they are not prevented form saying how steep the hill is. That sounds like a complete load of B******S.
I would challenge that under freedom of information.

There used to be road signs telling drivers how steep hills are.

The Bloody bedroom tax.
There is very little accomodation built with only one bedroom. In general it is probably not really economical to build just one bedroom places.

Given your mobilty issues living in the middle of nowhere is not viable.

As durhamjen says it is a political issue. A damn silly piece of legislation. It sounds OK on paper but it's clear nobody has done any work to find out if it is feasible in most areas of the country with regard to the available housing stock. I would also be very wary about keeping it an unsecured shed. Contact your MP and local papers

Sorry Anniebach I thought I had put the "e" in before I posted

Anniebach I have pm'd you.

How kind you all are. I did have an advocate from Age Concern support me in my application to move to another part of town and a member of my health team . What is so annoying are their power trips, what do they think I want to know the gradient of the hill for , I am not planning to barricade it or blow it up - that's a thought- doubt the press want to use the knowledge for headlines . And why tell me to buy the scooter before they decide , I only asked for a yes or no, didn't even get a quite possibly . I am also cross that they can ignore their policy on the bedroom tax, I didn't ask for two bedrooms,I put a cul de sac on my list not knowing it was mostly two bedrooms, I crossed it off my list when they said - no sorry we do not rent two bedrooms to a single person , this week they ring a single person up and offer her one because they don't have one name on the list for that village , she refused. Also cross - I am on a roll now - their policy is two pets only in their properties , this is right across the country, but I cannot be considered for another area because the residents do not want anyone with dogs moving there, I have never received one complaint about my pooch .

Will not contact the MP, not yet, the Lib lost his seat to a Tory and I was part of the labour team in the battle for the seat. Ah , I could ask the Lib Welsh Assembly member though, she will be in a panic over next years elections , yes?

A letter from your MP can work wonders. Write to him/her. It's worth the price of a stamp!

You don't have to say how you voted. S/he is meant to be there to represent you anyway, so yes, write to your MP and your Assembly member and send copies to anyone you can think of, including Age Concern. Good luck!

Is there an RVS in your area? They do community transport.

www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/

Surely the fact that you feel the need for having a scooter because of the hill on which you live gives you priority to move. What will you be freeing up for the council?

Don't forget you'll need an electric power point to charge a scooter. The batteries are heavy to take out to charge inside.

Annibach can I be rude and ask if you pay full rent or do you rely on housing benefit? If you pay full rent you will be perfectly entitled to retake the 2 bed bungalow because the bedroom tax will not apply to you anyway. My parents were told they could only have a one bed bungalow unless they pay full rent, which they do as they sold their council house. Mind you the money they got for the house has virtually run out now paying the rent which is over £100 per week !

My parents always do everything by the book and wouldn't do anything unless they had an official go ahead. We waited 5 months for someone to give them the nod to put a new kitchen into the bungalow (the existing one was literally rotten) mum was in hospital having an operation and my DH and DS ripped kitchen out and out a new one in while she wasn't there to protest. Job done. Council unaware. 5 years later they still haven't received the "official" go ahead. Pathetic.

I wish my mum could get a scooter. Does anyone know if there any that you are allowed to take on public transport? My parents don't drive and do rely heavily on the buses to get around. My dad currently pushes mum around in a wheelchair and it is really taking it's toll on his own health.

Yes you can. Especial
Y if your public transport is disabled accessable. I'd get a fairly lightweight one in case it needs lifting on. I'm pm you my number if you want to talk about it.

I didn't apply for two bedrooms, I gave my list of areas I would so like to move to, they crossed off two, 1. because the residents don't want a dog there yet two pets per household are allowed in all properties 2. Majority are two bedrooms yet they will allow a single person to rent two bedrooms in properties out of the town. This reduces my list of areas from seven to five .
Now I realise I have to cross another area off my list , not the fault of the council but family reasons. So my list is now reduced from seven to four , I give up