Autistic boy's family told they cannot move house (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Autistic boy's family told they cannot move house

2:54pm Tuesday 4th May 2004 in News By Angela Knight

A DISTRAUGHT father-of-five has been told by St Albans District Council that he cannot move into a bigger council house nearby because there are families who need the home more.

Mr Michael Lickfold told the Review that he was so desperate to move from their cramped three-bedroom home in Redbourn that he had considered squatting in the empty council house.

He claims his seven-year-old stepson Dominic, who has autism, needs more space to express himself and fears his condition is regressing.

He said that Dominic had impaired language skills and needed set routines to make sense of the world.

In April a medical panel awarded the family extra housing points, which meant they moved higher up the housing transfer list.

However, last Wednesday a housing review panel ruled out any chance of the family moving into their "dream home" in Redbourn and said that a possible solution could be to build an extra bedroom in their home.

Mr Lickfold said the council's decision had left him feeling angry, disappointed and upset and that he had reservations about whether or not there was a case more needy than his.

His wife, Kirstyn, said : "It's not just lack of bedroom space, it's a lack of space downstairs as well.

"We need a room for Dominic to retreat.

"At the moment he can't go anywhere downstairs without the twins harassing him.

"An extension is not ideal because it will cause so much disruption to Dominic's routine and he has sensory issues, which means he won't be able to handle the noise of any building works," she said.

"I don't know whether we'll all have to move out when the builders come in, which will mean even more disruption for Dominic, or how long the extension will take."

A council housing spokesman said the panel agreed that the Lickfolds' living arrangements were unsuitable, but that they had to operate an impartial points system in order to fairly allocate housing stock.

Subject to planning permission, the council would investigate the option of extending the Lickfolds' property to provide the family with an extra bedroom.

We have been asked to clarify that Mr Michael Lickfold is the stepfather of Dominic.

His biological father is Mr Maurozio Cesena, of St Albans.