23 November 2009 David Allen breaks the bank...again
Trailblazer David Allen has taken on and beaten his bank in court for the second time.
In Jauary we reported how David from Sheffield had taken the Royal Bank of Scotland to court and won, after his local branch broke the law by failing to make their building accessible.
The bank were ordered to install suitable access to the building and Mr. Allen was awarded £6,500 in damages.
Richard Lissack QC, for RBS, argued at the court of appeal that the judge had got it wrong in relation to the part of the act concerning the duty of providers of services to make reasonable adjustments to help the disabled.
Judges dismissed the bank's appeal on Friday and ordered it to carry out the necessary access work, which has been estimated as costing £200,000.
The Sheffield branch concerned is a 19th century listed building where access to all entrances is by flights of stone steps.
Sheffield Law Centre, the solicitors representing Allen, said:
This was an important ruling - the first time a court had ever granted an injunction requiring building work as a 'reasonable adjustment' under the Disability Discrimination Act.
Nic Bungay, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign said:
We are delighted at the appeal outcome. This case draws attention to a problem that spans all areas of life for disabled people, who often struggle to access services that non-disabled people take for granted - public transport, leisure facilities and in Mr Allen's case, even their local bank.
I hope that today's decision means that essential institutions, such as banks, work harder to meet the needs of all their customers.
Too often disabled customers are forced to settle for a second-rate service because reasonable adjustments are not made.
You must be logged in to comment. You can join now by registering your details.