Brighton & Hove City Council has apologised after an autistic man was held in a secure hospital for over two decades.
Tony Hickmott, 45, was sectioned in 2001 after a mental health crisis and he has not been released since.
However, after a judge criticised his detention last year, the council has now found a home near his parents in Brighton.
Robert Persey, Brighton & Hove City Council's executive director for health and adult social care, apologised and said the case was ‘very complicated’.
‘We work closely with the NHS to fund and develop complex care packages for people who need them,’ he said.
‘I’m sure I can speak for both organisations in saying we very much hope that the arrangements we are putting in place for Tony’s care will work for him and his family.
‘We’re really sorry this has taken so long. But it's very complicated trying to get all the elements like housing and carers all ready at the right time for people with complex needs.
‘The funding for the kind of complex care package needed in this instance is really challenging to achieve.
'They tend to be jointly funded with the NHS. But local government funding is continually being cut, and the NHS is also under financial pressures.’
