Ashley Fox MP has called for emergency investment to tackle delays in support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), after new figures exposed the scale of the problem in Somerset.
Data discussed by the council’s Children’s Scrutiny Committee shows that just 2.3% of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) were completed within the legal 20-week timeframe by September 2025. This places Somerset well behind neighbouring authorities, including Bath and North East Somerset at around 35%, Wiltshire at 65%, and North Somerset at 88%.
Ashley Fox said:
“Liberal Democrat-run Somerset Council is clearly falling far behind other councils. Demand is rising everywhere, but others are still managing to deliver far more EHCPs on time. That points to a system that is not working as it should, and it is children and families here who are paying the price.”
Somerset council’s own scrutiny work has identified delays in accessing educational psychology advice as a key issue, with reports showing it was taking an average of 22 weeks to obtain, holding up the entire EHCP process. Ashley Fox is now calling for emergency targeted investment in educational psychologists and specialist capacity to reduce the backlog and restore timely delivery.
Ashley also warned that delays are creating wider costs, both financially and socially. Figures show hundreds of tribunal appeals have been lodged in recent years, almost all of which are won by families, adding significant legal and administrative costs for the council.
Ashley Fox added:
“Delays in the system do not just impact children’s education, they put huge stress on families and create avoidable costs for taxpayers with parents taking Somerset Council to tribunal in their droves.”
Ashley said the focus must now be on putting in place the right level of resource and a clear plan to bring performance back in line with other areas, saying:
“Failing to address this is not just poor performance, it is a failure to meet a clear statutory duty to children and families. Somerset Council must do better, children across Somerset deserve nothing less.”
