A BOROUGH councillor for Okehampton has expressed his disappointment at the current waiting list for a child to be assessed for autism.

The current waiting list is between two and two and a half years. Cllr Rev Mike Davies has been working to try and reduce that time significantly.

Cllr Davies said: ‘This delay is not acceptable. This puts an enormous strain on a parent, carer or families. Until an assessment is made there is no educational support. In this day and age we need to get waiting lists down to within three months.’

Cllr Davies recently met with the chief executive of the National Autism Society, Mark Lever, together with the Government’s solicitor general Robert Buckland MP to explain how some families have been on the waiting list too long. He also explained the knock on effect of cuts in local transport to Okehampton families needing support in Exeter.