Niki tries to get on the council housing waiting list - while the council decides her son's autism is... on the mend?

Total circus here.

Niki talks about the 2.5 years it took to get on the Hackney council housing waiting list.

She has a 6 year old son who is autistic. He attends a SEND school in Hackney.

The family lives in a very small, one-bedroom private rental which has damp, mould and rodents. Needless to say, the family is keen to get out of there.

Niki also speaks of her concerns about the security of her family's personal documents after Hackney council's systems were torpedoed by a cyberattack.

She had to submit documents to apply to get on the council housing list. She was asked to submit them several times. She still wonders why.

Niki also talks about the way that councils assess people with autism for places on the council housing waiting list.

Her son's autism was severe enough to get the family into band B to bid for council places - but then they were downgraded to band C.

Very strange. His autism hadn't changed, but clearly somebody decided that it had.

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All music on this podcast is by © Concrete Uncle

Episode artwork: by Niki's son