ELDERLY residents who made a block of flats their home in Sheffield tell a chilling story which does reflects ill on a society which ought to pride itself on offering good service to customers.
And that is exactly what the residents of Eva Ratcliffe House are - customers of Sheffield Homes which says it is doing all in its power to replace a lift which constantly breaks down, leaving residents stranded.
A new lift is on order but, almost
unbelievably, people have been told the custom built model will take between eight and 12 weeks to arrive so won't be fitted until after the New Year.
Everyone appreciates this is a piece of kit which can't be bought at a local supermarket, but three months is an intolerable length of time for people to have to wait for something which is a key feature in their daily life.
The individual misery must be unbearable for people stranded in their home or, worse, inside the lift itself or on the ground floor unable to reach their flat. And offering temporary accommodation is simply not the answer: who wants to be shunted out of their home because a piece of equipment cannot be trusted?
The urgency of this scheme ought to be doubly emphasised to the suppliers and an early Christmas present delivered to residents at Eva Ratcliffe House.
Look to what the city's people wantWORLD finance markets may be struggling but times are just as tough for traders at the Castle Market and Moor outdoor market. And the city council is to blame for some of the troubles currently being experienced. For there is a clear lack of joined-up thinking over the future of markets in Sheffield.
Negotiations currently taking place between officials and traders ought to have been held when the decision was taken to pull down the Castle Market and remove traders to a new building.
Struggling to find a solution now shows just how low the market has been on the council's list of priorities, which have been dominated by swish retail plans rather than satisfying the traditional needs of Sheffield folk.
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