Disabled James slams council man's claims

Oct 6 2008 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

A ONE-LEGGED grandad has been accused of kicking in a broken close door.

Disabled pensioner James Mackay, 69, reported the dodgy door to Renfrewshire Council and says he has been waiting three months for it to be fixed.

And he said he couldn’t believe his ears when a council worker blamed him of booting it in – despite the fact his left leg was amputated two years ago.

James fumed: “I thought the person was kidding when they said, quite matter-of-factly, that I had kicked the door in myself. If it was a humorous situation then it might have been funny.

“But the fact of the matter is, I’ve only had one leg since diabetes resulted in my left leg being amputated two years ago.”

James, who lives at Garthland Lane in Paisley, contacted the Paisley Daily Express after his calls for help fell on deaf ears at the council.

The pensioner, who has to rely on his motorised scooter to get around, said: “Both my daughter and I have made repeated calls to the council in a bid to get this door fixed – but we’ve had no joy at all.

“One minute they say they’re waiting on a part coming in, then my daughter calls and they’re pleading poverty, saying they can’t afford to fix it.

“It’s simply not good enough. We’ve been waiting almost three months now for the problem to be sorted. It’s almost impossible to open it – especially when you can’t stand up to put your shoulder against it!”

James, who moved to Paisley from Bridge of Weir thirty years ago, also had a toe from his right leg amputated two months ago when diabetes struck again.

He added: “I love the area and don’t really want to move, but I’m prepared to ship out if the council don’t fix the door. I can’t handle the weight of the thing and I struggle every time I try to get in or out.

“Under normal circumstances, we would show a fob on the way in and press a button to exit. It’s a perfect system – but only if it works!”

Our reporter went down to try the door and soon discovered that James wasn’t the only one to have difficulty in trying to access the building – the door is fairly heavy.

Tenant, John McNaught, 64, also uses a motorised scooter and struggles to get in and out of the building.

He told us: “I had an accident a couple of years ago when a screwdriver went through my hand and I don’t have much strength in it now, so I have real trouble opening the door.

“I’ve also phoned the council to complain about the length of time it has been out of commission. But you just feel as though you’re getting fobbed off each time you call.”

John, who has lived in Paisley for ten years, is waiting to go into hospital to have both of his legs amputated. He added: “If that happens and that door remains broken, then I don’t know how I’ll get into my house.”

A Renfrewshire Council spokesman admitted there has been a delay, but said they are doing everything they can to get the door sorted as quickly as possible.

He explained: “We are doing everything we can to have the door entry system fully restored as soon as possible. Instructions have been issued to a sub-contractor to carry out the work.

“This particular door entry system is a specialised system and there has been a delay with the supplier in obtaining a specific part to complete the repair. But we’re trying to get everything repaired as soon as possible.”