Councillor and SEND parent delighted after issue raised with Keir Starmer

A Northumberland MP quizzed the Prime Minister on problems facing SEND children and their families

A councillor and mother of a child with additional needs has praised her MP for raising the difficulties faced by some families in Northumberland in parliament.

Coun Angie Scott, who represents the Prudhoe North ward, said she has been campaigning for "over a decade" to get children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) a fairer deal. The councillor described the current system as "failing".

It comes after Hexham MP Joe Morris quizzed Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the steps the new Government would take to improve outcomes and results for SEND families at Prime Minister's Questions. Sir Keir said the Government had a "duty" to support SEND children and criticised the previous Conservative Government for its record in the sector.

Coun Scott said: "At last, someone is listening. There is a £6 million shortfall in Northumberland County Council’s budget for special needs education next year amid increasing demand.

"I am an advocate for struggling parents of SEND children; working hard to break down the barriers for those struggling with bureaucracy to get what is needed for their children to enable them to lead a better life. Children are being failed by the unfair system.

"In Northumberland, some children have no choice but to travel an unfair distance to get to Special Educational Schools to enable them to thrive. They are exhausted before school starts and the travel causes unnecessary stress.

"Our young people also find it hard to make friends and access community groups, I believe this is because they don’t attend local schools and don’t build relationships in their own local areas. This causes social Isolation and inequality.

"Our children and their parents cannot wait any longer as they are at breaking point."

Responding to the comments, Northumberland County Council's Tory cabinet member for children's services Coun Guy Renner Thompson outlined the measures the council was taking to address the problem. He did, however, agree that Government reform was also needed.

Coun Renner Thompson said: "For the first time ever, we did our SEND place planning. We are investing in new SEND places across Northumberland.

"The picture painted by the MP doesn't reflect the reality that we as a council can see. If a parent of a SEND child chooses to send their SEND child across the county to find a school, that is up to them.

"We do recognise there are challenges in the future. We have approached Joe Morris to discuss the future of SEND.

"We are not alone in facing funding challenges. Pretty much every council in the country has the same problems.

"If the current trend continues, the current system will have to change or we will have to keep ploughing money into it. We have created a system that can't keep up with demand."

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