Buckinghamshire man with MND still waiting for repairs

A man with motor neurone disease who has fallen over six times since Christmas has called on the council to make crucial modifications to his home.

Robert Tyler, 57, wants his bathroom converted into a wheelchair-accessible wet room so he can shower safely.

Buckinghamshire Council said his grant was delayed but has now been approved.

Mr Tyler, who has waited more than seven weeks for the work to be carried out, said: "I can't get round. I'm scared I'll fall.

"I want to shower myself, but I can't without falling over. If I break my arm, I can't use the wheelchair."

The former building maintenance engineer was diagnosed with MND in July last year and the brain and nerve condition has affected his speech, left foot and leg - which he struggles to raise.

The tenant in Great Missenden said he has never missed a payment in the 14 years he has lived at the property, and urgently needed accessibility changes as he nearly smashed the glass when he last used the shower.

His wife, Sarah, 52, described how difficult it was for her husband to wash in their stand-up cubicle, once he has managed to get in to the bathroom on crutches.

She said: "His legs stick out of the shower. It needs a whole proper shower so he can wheel himself into it."

She also said he needed a ramp at the front of the home and added: "If he wants to go out, he can't use the front door either if I'm not here. He falls over a lot."

The council said processing the disabled facilities grant delayed the work but it had now been completed.

It claimed another delay was caused by the council waiting for consent for the works from Robert's landlord HS2, the high-speed rail company.

Carl Jackson, the council's deputy cabinet member for homelessness and regulatory services, said: "To assess Mr Tyler's eligibility for the grant, the council had to clarify some details about his application.

"That process has been completed and the grant has been confirmed. The work to the bathroom cannot start without consent from the landlord. The council has asked the landlord for that consent."

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: "We appreciate the urgent need for changes to be made to Mr Tyler's home and we have provided landlord consent to Buckinghamshire Council.

"This is subject to him entering into a 'licence for alterations' which is standard practice when a tenant wants to undertake work to a rented property."

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