A mother will receive more than £2,000 from Lewisham Council after an ombudsman ruled in her favour when her disabled son was not given transport to get to college.

The council also failed to consider the mother’s needs as a carer.

The investigation found Lewisham Council was at fault and prompted the local government and social care ombudsmen to ask local authorities across the country to ensure they properly support young adults with disabilities.

Councils have a statutory obligation to provide free transport to enable young adults up to 25 years old attend college, according to the ombudsmen.

In a statement, the ombudsman also found Lewisham Council at fault for delays and failures in care assessments, as well as inaccurate statements about the young man’s mobility benefits. 

The council will have to pay the woman a £1,500 lump payment, and a further £300 for her time and trouble pursuing the complaint. 

Additionally, it will pay the son £300 for delays and the loss of therapist input.

Lewisham Council has agreed to increase transparency on how it assesses eligibility for transport for post-19 learners.

It also agreed to consider whether it needs to change other policies and guidance, or provide refresher training, to ensure education health care assessments are carried out on time, officers and families have accurate information, transition planning is in place that considers the care needs of young people before they reach 18, and the changing needs of their carers.

Ombudsman Michael King said: “Councils across the country should have policies explicitly stating what transport support they will provide for these young adults.

“They cannot offload the responsibility onto parents, when they have their own demands on their time, and are under no obligation to meet the needs of another adult.”

A Lewisham Council spokesperson said: “We accept the Ombudsman’s findings and have apologised to the family. We will be reviewing our processes and procedures to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”