Disabled man awarded £20,000 by council after being forced to ‘drag himself across the floor to use toilet’

A severely disabled man has been awarded a £20,000 settlement by his local council after being forced to drag himself across the floor to use the toilet.

The man, who is paralysed from the waist down and has only one functional arm, was housed by Redbridge council’s social care team.

Despite his disability, the accommodation provided to him by the team had no wheelchair-accessible toilet, kitchen or laundry facilities. As a result, the man was forced to drag himself to the bathroom, and struggled to cook for himself or wash his clothes.

Prior to receiving care, the man had been street homeless.

Later into his accommodation stay, he began receiving essential care from his wife, although she was initially prevented from remaining with him outside the visiting hours of 10am to 8pm. This led to him sleeping rough with her, rather than staying alone in the accommodation.

His law firm Bindmans said the case “highlights the potentially serious consequences when local authorities fail to provide suitable accommodation and support to disabled people, and the importance of considering claims for damages under human rights and equality legislation where those failures are sufficiently serious”.

The man, who has remained anonymous, began legal proceedings in November 2024 when he brought a judicial review against Redbridge council. This resulted in the council agreeing to arrange an occupational therapy assessment and carry out the recommended works.

However, this did not result in a move to suitable accommodation. Instead, it was recommended that the man stop using his bathroom and instead use a “wheeled shower commode” in his bedroom, assisted by his wife.

Despite intervention from an independent occupational therapist instructed by Bindmans, who recommended a move to suitable accommodation, the council did not offer this.

The man then brought a second urgent judicial review in July 2025, alleging breaches of the Care Act and his human rights.

Redbridge council agreed to offer fully adapted, wheelchair accessible accommodation after this.

The remaining claim for damages under the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act was transferred to the country court, which Bindmans says has resulted in a £20,000 settlement.

Emma Pein, Associate in Bindman’s Public Law and Housing team, said: “We are pleased to have secured compensation for this highly vulnerable man who has been through so much. His living conditions were truly appalling and the impact on him was profound.

“This goes some way towards righting Redbridge’s wrong, but we have asked for Redbridge to explain how this could have been allowed to happen and put measures in place to ensure that it cannot happen again. We look forward to its response on this.”

A Redbridge Council spokesperson said: “Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion, particularly when they rely on us for care and support.

“We are sorry that we fell short of those standards in this case and for the distress caused. We are committed to reviewing and learning from what went wrong and improving the support we provide so that residents receive the help they need.”