Caring parents to challenge council

The parents of a severely disabled teenager have the power to challenge the number of relief breaks they are allocated by their local authority, the High Court ruled yesterday.

Stuart Jagger and his wife Susan, who are both in their 50s and seriously ill themselves, look after their 16-year-old son Michael, a cerebral palsy sufferer who is wheelchair-bound and needs constant attention and supervision. The family is allocated a certain amount of respite care, whereby Michael is looked after away from the home, but Calderdale Metropolitan Council in West Yorkshire has now decided to cut the provision by about 30 per cent. Mr and Mrs Jagger claim the council's action is unlawful. The judge granted leave to challenge the authority's decision and ordered that a full hearing should be held as soon as possible.