A member of Essex County Council’s cabinet has offered to brief Nigel Farage MP on special educational needs and disabilities issues after the leader of Reform UK criticised the council for SEND delays.
Mr Farage, who was elected as MP for Clacton, and James McMurdock, who won in South Basildon and East Thurrock, said they would put pressure on councils after hearing from parents about delays in the provision of SEND services in their Essex constituencies.
The county council has been criticised for delays in assessing children for educational health care plans within 20 weeks, with some waiting over a year.
Mr Farage told the BBC: ‘We as MPs cannot directly affect special needs provision as that is a county council issue, but... [we can] go to Essex County Council and say what’s going on.’
Cllr Tony Ball, Essex County Council’s cabinet member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: ‘We are continuing to make changes across the Essex SEND system to improve outcomes and families’ experiences. I welcome the opportunity to brief MPs on this work in the coming weeks, not only on the local picture, but also on the issues in the national SEND system.’
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