West Sussex County Council unlawfully cut transport funding for a disabled man attending a day centre, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has ruled.
The council stopped paying for his travel because his family had a Motability car — even though his mother couldn’t drive and both parents cared full-time for his grandmother.
The Ombudsman found the council applied a blanket rule instead of considering the family’s circumstances, breaching the Care Act 2014.
It ordered the council to apologise, pay the family £250 for distress, review the man’s care plan, and reassess the parents’ needs as carers.
West Sussex must also review its transport policy to ensure fairness and tell other families they can request reassessment.
A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: ‘We accept the Ombudsman’s findings. We apologise for how we handled decisions about transport to day support services and for the impact this had on those affected. We will implement the recommendations in full.’
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