Councils are not preparing for the future housing needs of thousands of people with learning disabilities.
A report by mental health charity Mencap found only half of the councils it surveyed knew how many people with learning difficulties in their area were living with, and being cared for, by elderly relatives.

Mencap estimates that 29,000 people with a learning disability are living with parents aged 70 or more. At the current rate of local government planning of 227 places a year it will take 30 years to house people with learning disabilities who currently live with their elderly parents – by which time the parents will be more than 100 years old, if still alive, Mencap's report said. Many elderly people who have children with learning disabilities live in fear of what will happen to their offspring when they die, it continued.

Only one in four of the 150 town halls surveyed had planned alternative housing for those with elderly parents. And only one in 10 had provided for a significant increase in their budget for supported living for 2002/03.

This is despite the government's learning disability white paper calling for more to be done to tackle these people's housing needs.

Mencap's report said: "After a lifetime of round-the-clock caring for their sons and daughters, parents are entitled to live their old age with some peace of mind for the future. Instead they live with the constant fear and anxiety of where their sons and daughters will live, who will take care of them and whether they will be safe and happy."

The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities is also investigating this area. Its head Hazel Morgan said people did want to plan for the future, but needed support in doing so: "It's a big step that shouldn't be rushed but is vital if we are to prevent sudden upheavals in a crisis."

Carmel Conefrey,Local Government Association senior project manager, said the new learning disability partnership boards, which councils have had to have running since last October under the disability white paper, consider accommodation as part of their remit.