'We are coming for you' - Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP slams council over delays in children's EHCPs
“Do something about it because we are coming for you.”
MP Lorraine Beavers has slammed Lancashire County Council over delays in securing Educational, Health and Care Plans for children with Special Educational Needs.
Ms Beavers had met with families of SEND children and listened to their ongoing difficulties, particularly their struggles to the right EHPC’s in place.
She said: “LCC you are a disgrace that these children are being left at home with no education and no support and these families have to battle every day, just so their children can have a chance of education.
“Do something about it because we are coming for you.”
In hard-hitting video on her Facebook page the Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP said: “I am heartbroken’ yet ‘inspired’ by families.
“I knew all of the horror stories, my office is inundated with them and it is a disgrace, but sitting with you all today it really hit home how incredibly hard you're all fighting to protect the people you love.
“I mentioned Lancashire County Council because the experiences families share with me and my team every single day are too frequent, heartbreaking and similiar to ignore and while the process to get an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) might be getting quicker, that doesn't mean there's any real support in place.
“That being said, I know it isn't just LCC that's at fault, as a government we should be doing more and working to hold councils accountable.
“Before recess I took your words into Parliament and put your ideas on the table, I will keep doing that and keep fighting for you to be heard.
“Locally, I am working to expand provision, in addition to the announced government expansion.
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“I will keep fighting to bring extra specialist spaces into our area, not just because children with complex needs deserve them but because it relieves pressure from schools, classrooms, and families too.
“Changes are coming and some of them will make a huge difference but they will take time.
Right now, I'm working on how we put support in place that's quicker but still makes a real difference and I'll be reaching out for you input again soon because it is the voices of those with SEND and their families that should be central to any plan.”