Boy's long wait for disabled bathroom finally over

A mother who waited more than three years for her council house to be adapted for her disabled son says she is delighted with the results.

Ayla, 27, from Boston, Lincolnshire, had to carry 12-year-old Robbie up the narrow stairs of her home to the bathroom every time he needed a wash.

The family moved into the house in 2021, but it took until January this year for work to begin on a ground-floor extension, which includes an accessible bedroom and wet room for Robbie, who uses a wheelchair, cannot speak and is fed with a tube.

Boston Borough Council, which is responsible for the work, said Ayla's case was "particularly complex" and it was now working to "streamline" its referrals process.

Robbie suffered brain damage after contracting meningitis as a toddler. It left him with complex issues, which also include visual and hearing impairments.

Ayla says she was initially told she would have to wait a year for adaptations to be made after moving to the house in 2021.

However, it took until May 2024 for planning permission to be granted for the work, meaning Robbie had to sleep in the family dining room.

A further delay meant construction did not begin until January this year, with the work finally completed last month.

Ayla said Robbie's wellbeing, along with her own physical and mental health, had improved since the extension was finished.

"The stress has just gone because I'm now able to care for Robbie properly, the way that I should be able to care for him."

Councillor John Baxter, the council's portfolio holder for housing, said: "We are very pleased to see that the completed adaptations have made a real difference.

"The council receives a huge volume of claims for disabled facilities grant referrals for adaptations, which puts pressure on our officers to find cost-effective solutions as quickly as possible."

He added: "This was a particularly complex case, involving a wide variety of different partner agencies that had to be involved to arrange and then build the extension required at the property.

"Whilst the timeline here was not typical of the other adaptations carried out, we recognise that it is critical that tenants in Boston receive the right support as swiftly as possible, which is why we are working alongside our partners to streamline complex adaptations referrals across the borough as much as we can."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.