THE parents of autistic teenager Liam Brunskill say they may have to put their York house on the market to pay for legal representation at a court hearing to decide their son’s future.

Now he is an adult, Mandy and Rod Brunskill want Liam to live in supported accommodation close to Hesley Village, near Doncaster.

Liam, 19, has been attending the centre to do activities such as pottery, dancing and canoeing. It is close to Wilsic Hall School where he has lived for seven years. Living nearby would mean he could continue to be looked after by people he knows and do his activities, the family say.

City of York Council, which is now legally responsible for Liam, wants him to live in supported accommodation in York.

The dispute between the Brunskills and the council over Liam’s future living arrangements has dragged on for more than a year.

Mrs Brunskill said the court of protection hearing which will decide her son’s future would be held within the next 28 days at Leeds Civil Justice Centre.

Liam will probably qualify for legal aid in the hearing, but she and her husband Rod will probably not, she believes.

She says there are two reasons for putting the family home at Clifton Moor on the market. “We need money to pay for the court fees, and we do not think we can live in an authority that can do this to us. We feel that if we lived in Doncaster, then Liam would stand a better chance of staying where he is, happy and settled.”

The council has declined to comment in detail on Liam’s case for reasons of confidentiality.

A complaint by the Brunskills to the Local Government Ombudsman was not upheld. The Ombudsman’s report made clear the dispute was not mainly about cost, but that the council had “safeguarding concerns” about Hesley Village and the quality of care provided there.

The most recent report on Hesley Village from the Care Quality Commission, however – dated June this year – finds that the centre is fully compliant.

“People told us they were well looked after, the staff were very good and they could talk to people if they had a problem,” the report said.