THE father of a severely disabled girl is to get £4,000 compensation after winning his complaint against a council.

The money is being offered by Sunderland City Council to the man, whose name has not been released, in recognition of the council's failure to implement a social services care plan and move the family to a house more suitable for his daughter.

The move has been welcomed by Local Government Ombudsman Patricia Thomas, who found that the council was guilty of maladministration.

Mrs Thomas said in her report that council officers were intimidated by the man's "challenging behaviour".

But she found his "frustration was understandable and that at times his indignation and anger were almost inevitable".

She commended the council for its response to the complaint and said that it had learnt lessons, so it could avoid similar failures in the future.

A council spokesman said officers worked closely with the Ombudsman on the case and were "pleased to have achieved a local settlement".

He added: "Sunderland Social Services Department is genuinely committed to its customers and is always looking to improve the services that it offers. The department was one of only eight in the country to be awarded a three-star performance by the Department of Health."