East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) has continued to ban Independent Supported Living (ISL) residents from accessing day services.

This is despite my exposing the failures on 20 September in ISL Residents Banned From Day Services. In addition, I requested ERYC Chief Executive Caroline Lacey and all Councillors to take “immediate and appropriate action for the benefit of all East Riding ISL residents”.  Nothing has changed.

Yesterday the main article in the Hull Daily Mail “Disabled man’s heartbreak after he is ‘banned from job’ he loves” also highlighted the shameful policy of ERYC not allowing ISL residents to attend East Riding Day Services.

Unfortunately, the article misreports certain aspects, to clarify:

• The article refers to volunteers. They are not volunteers. They are people who have been assessed by ERYC as needing Day Services because of their disabilities. People who live in ISL have been specifically excluded from returning to services – in effect a blanket ban – despite the majority having both vaccinations and being regularly tested. The parents/carers have asked ERYC repeatedly for a plan, or policy or strategy to resume Day services – none has been forthcoming. For the ISL residents, there is no end in sight causing continuing distress to vulnerable members of society.
• Day Services have had Covid mitigation measures in place in accordance with Council guidelines for many months. Some service users whose parents/carers are deemed to be ‘in crisis’ have been allowed to return to be in ‘bubbles’. Parents/carers have asked what the criteria are for selection for this small group of ISL residents – no response.
• Most recently parents/carers have contacted Councillors to make them aware of the situation – NOT one has responded and the silence from ERYC Officials has been deafening.
• A group of parents/carers of service users (ISL residents), feel they have been ignored, neither consulted nor regularly informed and particularly those parents/carers with adults who live in ISLs made to feel as if their young people just don’t matter.

I have exposed this, Hull Daily Mail have exposed this, it has been referred to Caroline Lacey and Councillors have failed to respond. What will it take to resolve this failure of policy and accountability?

Yet again I request ERYC Chief Executive Caroline Lacey and all Councillors to take “immediate and appropriate action for the benefit of all East Riding ISL residents”.

Further Information

• ISL Residents Banned From Day Services
• Hull Daily Mail Disabled man’s heartbreak after he is ‘banned from job’ he loves