SOCIAL services have been ordered to pay compensation over their treatment of a former Prestwich man who suffers from autism.

Local government ombudsman Mrs Patricia Thomas has found Bury Council guilty of "maladministration causing injustice".

She will today (Friday April 7) order the council to pay £250 to the mother of a 41-year-old man, given the pseudonym of Arthur Sand, for her time and trouble pursuing her complaint.

Mrs Thomas criticised the council's delay in dealing with complaints from family members about its decision to move an autistic relative to a new placement in the community.

She also says the council, which assessed the man's needs, should revise its complaints procedure, and agree a joint system of investigating complaints which involve both the council and the health authority, which paid for his care.

Mr Sand was diagnosed at a young age as having severe learning disabilities and autism. He developed epileptic symptoms in his 20s, and has spent nearly all of his life in special schools, a psychiatric hospital and specialist residential care.

His mother, sister and brother wanted "Arthur" to remain in an independent residential care home for autistic adults outside the borough.

But another sister agreed with Bury social services who wanted to move him back here into alternative accommodation run by a care organisation. His mother took her son out of that accommodation to live with her at home. She has since moved with him to a village near to her favoured residential home.

In her report, the ombudsman upholds some of the complaints about delays.

However, Mrs Thomas says the council had acted throughout in good faith and with the best interests of "Mr Sand" at heart.

The ombudsman adds that the delays were partly caused by conflicting complaints submitted by the man's family, as one member agreed with the council's actions in moving her relative and the rest of the family did not.

The council now has to consider the report and tell the ombudsman what action it proposes to take.

No-one at Bury Council was available to comment.

Mr Richard Popplewell, chief executive of Bury and Rochdale Health Authority, said merely: "We will be considering the ombudsman's findings."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.