Wednesday, May 30, 2012

No reappraisal is needed

Oscar Mellor 

It was good news getting the letter from the courts telling me I had won my appeal against Amsterdam Council's decision to refuse me air conditioning.

For many people it may be a luxury, but for me and others it is an absolute necessity, in order to have any quality of life while the weather is warm.

After getting the judges decision that my case was proven, I looked forward to hearing when they would come to install it.

Last week when I heard nothing I asked my case manager to find out for me.

She promised to enquire and let me know, this was last week Wednesday, and I heard nothing else from her.

As it was Whitsun weekend I could not contact her on Monday, so sent a mail yesterday reminding her of her promise.

Jacqueline’s replied saying that the council had six weeks to consider their next steps; this worried me, I sensed an appeal coming.

We arranged she would phone at 15.00 this afternoon, finally she phoned me at 15.30.

She told me the city council had time in which to reassess the situation, I asked if this meant they were intending to appeal the decision.

My case manager said that it meant that they would be reappraising in order to see what the best solution would be.

I told her the solution was obvious, it was air conditioning, which was why I went to court to appeal against the council decision to refuse it to me.

Sending the same people who came to assess my application last year does not make me feel optimistic.

Again they are talking about sun blinds and sun awnings, sounds like people who are too fixated on finding reasons to refuse requests and totally failing to see reality.

No reappraisal is needed; the situation which the judge recognised only too well is that I have Multiple Sclerosis which makes warm weather difficult to cope with.

I will try to be optimistic that the council will look at the situation in the light of the court’s decision.




















4 comments:

steve said...

OK. I'll let out that last breath, and start holding another.

Herrad said...

hello Steve,
I couldn't believe it when my case manager told me.
In the court papers I have, it says that the council should reappraise in the light of the decision. Which was that my arguments for air conditioning were accepted by the court. so now they are basically indulging in time wasting in the hope that they will come up with a cheaper solution. Which does not exist, all I need is for the air temperature to be cool.
I will have two keep very cool when they come around to do their reappraisal, hopefully I'll manage as right now I'd like to tell them what I think of them.
Love,
Herrad

Herrad said...

hi Steve,
replying to your comment gave me the nucleus of today's post, thanks for your help.
Love,
Herrad are

steve said...

Heat is a terrible thing for anyone diagnosed with MS. I used to place cooling pads under BR's tuchus in the summer months. But they were so cold, they would become painful.

A comfortable ambient temperature is so very important.

Still not breathing...

-steve