A council is being sued for failing to ensure a disabled resident could access a polling station, in a national first.
Wheelchair user Adam Lotun claims he was left unable to vote in last year’s European and local elections because a ramp and drop to the floor blocked him from entering the polling site.
He claims the incident was a breach of his human rights and is now suing Kingston RBC.
Lotun said signs at the polling station claimed it supported disabled access. He alleges that staff refused to bring the ballot box to a private place outside, leaving him unable to cast his vote.
‘It made me feel worthless as an individual, excluded as a member of society,’ he told the BBC.
A council spokesperson said: ‘The council is aware of the circumstances in which a resident found himself unable to vote at the May 2014 elections and is taking steps to ensure that the building used as a polling station on that occasion is fully accessible to wheelchair users for all future elections.’
