Council fined for funding blunder

East Sussex Council has been fined after a funding delay deprived a
client of a place at a specialist education facility.

Jerry White, the Local Government Ombudsman, ruled that councils
were obliged to make financial decisions quickly when considering
more than one application for funds.

The council told a young man with a learning difficulty that he
would have a “seamless transfer” to a post-college residential
education facility.

But its approval for funding was delayed four months because of an
unforeseen number of emergency cases – and the place was given to
another person.

White ruled that the delay had resulted in a misadministration that
caused injustice.

He ordered the council to pay £30,000 compensation to the
client and £500 to his parents.