Mum takes council to court

COUNCIL bosses were threatened with jail last week because they were allegedly not providing care for the young children of a disabled woman.

Single mum-of-three Natasha Reid, of Leytonstone High Road, took the council to court claiming it failed to provide weekend foster care and transport for her children to get to school, both of which it was legally bound to do.

But the council this week strongly denied any wrongdoing and vowed it had co-operated fully at all times with the family to reach a speedy conclusion to the problem.

Ms Reid's lawyers threatened council chief executive Simon White and social service director Ron Wallace with prison if the council continued to ignore her pleas for help.

The council finally agreed to a consent order at the High Court, on April 10 to provide for the family after claims that it was ignoring a previous court order earlier this month.

Ms Reid was delighted that her plight was finally being recognised.

She suffers from the progressive blood disorder systemic lupus, which prevents her caring full-time for her children Kieran, eight, Roshan, five, and Chanae, three.

Ms Reid said: "I have been through so much stress trying to secure help from social services.

"They made false promises to me for months. My children are at risk of neglect if care is not provided because I am so ill.

"I can't believe the council ignored our needs and we had to threaten the chief executive with prison before it took notice of us."

Ms Reid and her solicitor have had to find their own foster care arrangements recently as her illness is worsening.

Yogi Amin, her solicitor, added: "The council has failed repeatedly to fulfil its legal duties and this family is in desperate need of care that it has to provide."

The council has now agreed the level of care it needs to make available to Ms Reid's children.

A council spokesman said: "The council has been working hard to help Ms Reid and her children for more than a year.

"With reference to the court proceedings the council has at all times co-operated fully, and sought to reach agreement quickly on the matter."

11:47 Saturday 26th April 2003

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