Disabled visitors to Dudley Council House were left in the dark after the council forgot to turn on the light. The town hall house recently underwent a renovation that included improved access for disabled visitors.
Council meeting attendees can now use a handicap accessible elevator to enter council chambers. But, Cllr Elaine Taylor says she was left in tears after using the elevator and emerging into pitch darkness.
Councilor Taylor, who has to use walking sticks, said: “I have raised this at least four times in emails and at council house. Why are disabled people not welcome in council buildings?
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“Why are we being forced to make decisions about whether it’s safe for us to keep going to meetings so we can represent the people who elected us? I was completely in tears after trying to attend my last meeting, it was like something from the Krypton Factor .
“At one point the makeshift ramp moved and I became unsteady and almost fell into the dark and I don’t know how long it would have been before they found me. It’s kind of a nightmare.”
In total, Dudley Council will spend more than £4 million renovating council house. The improvements were expected to provide new opportunities for disabled visitors to attend council meetings.
In response, Balvinder Heran, Dudley Council Deputy CEO, said: “Council house is undergoing major construction work and we have tried to accommodate elected members and meetings as much as possible.
“Clearly, the significant disruption is having an impact on accessibility. Therefore, we have decided to cancel all meetings on the upper floors of the building until the work is complete and instead hold them in more suitable areas of the complex or online”.
“We apologize to anyone who has had inconvenience with this work and assure people that the new arrangements will mean everyone will have safe access to important council meetings.”
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