Council chiefs under fire over ill woman’s debt
COUNCIL chiefs have come under fire for refusing to cancel a debt owed by a woman with mental health problems.
The row came at a meeting of the council's executive, which followed a second Ombudsman report that had slammed Trafford's handling of the case.
The Ombudsman Anne Seex asked the council to reconsider its refusal to waive the repayment of a £34,000 renovation grant for work on Ms Walker's former home on Riddings Road, Timperley.
This came after a first report in which Ms Seex found Trafford guilty of maladministration causing injustice' - but the council rejected the verdict.
At the meeting on Monday night, the executive refused to cancel the debt but said it should be transferred to the present home in Scotland of Ms Walker.
But Labour leader Cllr David Acton hit out at the proposal.
He said: "This council has a duty to waive that grant repayment.
"It is absolutely outrageous that you want the repayment back. I am amazed and see no reason whey you can't agree to what the Ombudsman said."
Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Ray Bowker, supported him. He said: "There is no doubt there has been maladministration by the council.
"At the end of the day, if the council is not compassionate with this case, it will leave it in a very poor light."
The meeting was told that Ms Walker - which is not her real name - did not have the money that the council is claiming and her income is £7,000 a year, from state benefits and disability benefits.
Her health was described as fragile'. She had recently been detained again at a psychiatric hospital and is currently on a structured home release.
Executive member, Cllr Alex Williams, said: "We have to look at the vulnerability of the individual."
"It is for that reason that I support deferring the grant so her quality of life is not affected while she lives in Scotland.I think that is very reasonable."
The executive agreed that officers will investigate transferring the loan to Ms Walker's current property.
Source: This is Cheshire (25/07/2007)
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