Hampton mum makes autism appeal to Prime Minister Gordon Brown

March 27, 2009

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10:06am Friday 27th March 2009

By Ian Mason »

" Dear Gordon Brown, I can save you £508m a year. "

These are the words a Hampton mum has plastered across UK billboards, inviting

the Prime Minister to call her to find out how " when it's convenient " .

In a bid to raise awareness about autism, Polly Tommey also went to 10 Downing

Street with her autistic son to deliver a letter requesting a personal

meeting with Gordon Brown.

Mrs Tommey, who founded the Autism Trust, believes if more help was given to

help autistic people find work – and relatives forced into acting as full time

carers – the Government would see a vast reduction in the benefits they pay out.

Currently, six per cent of adults with the condition are in full-time employment

and Mrs Tommey estimates if that number reached 25 per cent, savings would be in

excess of £500m.

" Imagine what we could do if we could help 30 or 40 per cent, " she said.

" We want better support, politicians to engage with us and the acknowledgement

and support our children deserve as fully contributing members of society.

" Unless the problems of autism are understood, and services and support become

more available, we will see an underclass of disaffected and desperate autism

households emerge. "

The £500,000 billboard campaign has been funded by commercial donors to allow

Mrs Tommey to make her personal appeal in a very public way.

The mum of three accused the Government of ignoring the " overwhelming stress and

demands faced by families of those with autism " , despite over 500,000 people in

the UK having the condition.

She added: " has a bleak future today in our blinkered world.

" He is an inspiration to all of us in our family and everyone who meets him.

" It is simply not fair that his potential is dismissed. "

For more information visit theautismtrust.org.uk.

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