Agenda item

To seek approval from Cabinet for the adoption of the Mobility Vehicle Policy having been recommended by the Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 17 March 2025.

Purpose of report

To seek approval from Cabinet for the adoption of the Mobility Vehicle Policy having been recommended by the Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 17 March 2025.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1. Approves the draft Mobility Vehicle Policy.

2. Delegates authority to make minor amendments to the policy, as required by changes to regulation or legislation to the Director of Housing and Projects, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing.

3. Undertakes a review of the new Policy within 12 months.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Option 1 – do nothing. Cabinet could have chosen not to implement this policy and the Mobility Vehicle Registration Scheme. The implication of this would have been continued fire, safeguarding and health and safety risks.

Option 2 – implement this policy but not implement the outside designated storage and charging facilities at the sheltered housing schemes. The implication of this would have been a reliance upon indoor designated storage and charging facilities at the sheltered housing schemes; some schemes had insufficient storage for the number of mobility scooters.

Reasons for the decision

To ensure the Council complied with legislation regarding fire, health and safety risks and provided a clear policy framework for tenants and leaseholders.

The creation of a Policy began as part of a far larger piece of work on 36 sheltered housing schemes. It became apparent that there were unusual ways of charging mobility scooters and consequently it was determined that a policy was required.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 required that fire risks in common areas are assessed, and actions taken to reduce these risks. In residential buildings, mobility scooter and other battery powered vehicle fires could pose a risk to safety and life of tenants, leaseholders, employees, firefighters, and others, when stored in communal areas and/or evacuation routes.

A review of the mobility scooter storage facilities at the Council sheltered housing schemes across the district established that many scooters were being stored and charged inside schemes or externally and adjacent to buildings, causing unacceptable fire and health and safety risks. The residents were using the Council’s electricity supply (at no additional charge to the owner of each scooter). Furthermore, mobility vehicles were being stored in locations obstructing fire escape routes. Finally, officers reported that some mobility scooters were being charged outside via an extension cable through the window of resident accommodation which presented a further fire risk.

The number of scooters and other battery-operated vehicles would continue to increase, therefore it was essential to put a policy in place.

A Mobility Scooter Policy was first developed in 2021, and a widespread consultation took place. The policy had been revised since then and now encompassed other battery-operated mobility vehicles and was now the Mobility Vehicle Policy. The policy was presented to the Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) in March 2025, and consultation took place on this during August/September 2025. All tenants in the sheltered housing corridor schemes and a sample of other sheltered housing and general needs housing residents were asked for their views.

The intention was to install charging pods so there was somewhere secure to store scooters. Residents could charge it as and when they liked, on a ‘per cost’ basis.

The following points were highlighted during debate:

• Mobility scooter users were often forgotten and ignored whenever transport policy gets discussed. The Administration was committed to ensuring safe and convenient storage for these vehicles. Residents would not be required to pay towards the costs of installation.
• A comprehensive consultation was carried out. All issues raised within the consultation would be taken into consideration (including where storage pods would be).
• Storage pods needed to be as close as possible to the sheltered housing schemes. There may be additional costs for storage pods if they had to be attached to the side of a building rather than utilising existing space within the schemes.
• Some residents might not be able to walk from the proposed scooter storage to their room; however individual needs of residents would be considered when the work commenced, and one option could be to re-house tenants who were adversely affected.
• One visiting member felt that, although the Policy was a good start, some tweaks were required, particularly with regard to:
  • those with severe mobility issues
  • relocating residents, and
  • determining the priority given to storage allocations.
• The Council was under no obligation to provide storage facilities where none existed.
• If a resident presented with a greater need for an allocation than another then this would be considered and then a solution would be sought.
• The Policy had been presented to Housing OSC and a public consultation followed. Whilst it was true that only 30% of respondents had a mobility scooter, the Council could not compel people to respond to consultations or surveys.
• Residents would get a period of grace until a solution that is right for them is found.
• There were 54 scooters across 14 schemes. Storage pods would be installed initially at corridored schemes with the highest levels of scooters because they were currently being stored within a flat, a potential fire risk.
• There was currently no need to operate a waiting list for storage allocations. If high volumes of people apply for spaces, then a needs assessment may be required.
• The Policy was not an attempt to ban mobility vehicles; it was aimed at protecting people within these buildings.

Cabinet agreed to review the document within the next 12 months to reflect on its practical implementation and any scope for improvement.