(UK) Gateshead: 2,348 children, young people waiting >18 weeks for services

June 29, 2026, Chronicle Live: Gateshead Reform councillor criticised over 'shocking' autism and council housing comments

A Reform councillor in Gateshead has been condemned for “shocking” comments suggesting that some families could use a child’s autism diagnosis to move up the social housing waiting list.

Garry Thompson told a health board meeting last week that such a diagnosis “sort of gives them a key to improving on the housing situation”.

Coun Thompson, the council’s cabinet member for the environment, was speaking at a Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Board on June 25, where councillors were told that there are 2,489 young people on the Gateshead waiting list for Children and Young People’s Services (CYPS).

CYPS support children up to age 18 dealing with issues including mental health difficulties and learning disabilities.

Coun Thompson said he had been surprised, as a new councillor, by the number of families who had stated in conversation that they had a child with autism. He questioned council officers as to whether referrals for diagnosis would have been made “from more deprived areas.”

Coun Thompson continued: “I feel with some respect, potentially you could have made a rod for people’s own backs because I think some of these people see that if they’ve got a child with a diagnosed case of autism, it sort of gives them a key to improving on the housing situation, it moves them up on the bidding list and things like that. Is that something you are potentially finding?”

Coun Thompson also asked what measures were in place to spot and deal with “obvious fakes”, in relation to people referring their children for assessments.

Gateshead’s Labour group leader, John Adams, claimed that the comments “undermine autistic children and their families”.

He said after the meeting: “Comments suggesting that parents seek autism diagnoses for their children to jump the council housing queue are shocking and smear thousands of decent families because of a tiny handful of alleged cases. Autism is a recognised disability diagnosed through rigorous clinical assessment—not a shortcut to housing priority.

“Parents already face long waits without having their motives questioned. Public representatives should know better than to undermine autistic children and their families.”

Figures presented to councillors also showed that 94% of the CYPS waiting list, equating to 2,348 children and young people, had been waiting for more than 18 weeks by the final quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. . . .