• AT the last World Autism Awareness Week, executive member for health and wellbeing Councillor Janet Burgess led Labour councillors in declaring the council’s commitment to “doing more to support people with autism” and “progress­ing plans to build more homes for people with autism and complex disabilities”.

During this year’s Autism Awareness Week, perhaps she should review what the council has done and more importantly what it has failed to do.

It failed to safeguard autistic children by refusing to re-house them in ground-floor accommodation despite professionals’ advice, (Balcony fall death of seven-year-old autistic girl was ‘a case of when, not if’, July 1 2016).

It failed to prevent autistic adults being bussed to a day centre out of area from Tuesday to Friday and being locked up indoors the rest of the time (Mother says staff turnover means autistic son’s care is simply not good enough, January 8, 2016).

It failed to bring enough people with complex needs back to the area when it opened up Leigh Road (New flagship accommodation for people with learning disabilities opens, January 12, 2015).

It failed to apply NHS building guidelines for this group even though they are advocated by its own director of housing and adult social services Sean McLaughlin.

And it has failed in its plans to build accom­modation for people with autism. Indeed, it has confirmed that the proposed developments at City Road Forum and Windsor Street will not be used for this purpose.

When is this Labour council going to stop bragging and get on with building decent homes?

IAN FEARNLEY
N1