A HAMPSHIRE council has been found guilty of maladministration causing injustice after it withdrew travel tokens for the elderly and disabled.

An ombudsman report states Eastleigh Borough Council axed the scheme without proper consultation or assessment and did not deal with complaints properly.

Until the concession was cancelled travel tokens could be taken instead of a bus pass and would enable the over 70s and disabled people to use taxis and community transport to make vital trips.

However, the council stopped issuing tokens when the national bus pass scheme came in 2008 Protestors against this cut say people who used the token scheme are too infirm to get around by bus.

The report recommends the council should take another look at the token scheme with proper consultation and assessment, make sure future decisions adhere to the Disability Discrimination Act, apologise to a couple and the Eastleigh Southern Parishes Older People's Forum.after their complaints were badly dealt with.