Ashley Fox MP has challenged the new Education Secretary in Parliament over the Liberal Democrat-run Somerset Council's record on support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Speaking in the House of Commons, the Bridgwater MP highlighted the difference between Somerset and neighbouring North Somerset in completing Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments within the statutory 20-week timeframe.
Ashley Fox told the Education Secretary that while North Somerset has demonstrated that the deadline can be met for the overwhelming majority of children, Somerset's performance has fallen to extremely low levels.
Ashley Fox said:
"Somerset Council is failing children across our county.
Neighbouring North Somerset Council manages to assess 85% of children for their EHCPs within 20 weeks, Somerset Council assesses fewer than 2% within that time limit.
So how confident is she that the incompetent Liberal Democrats who run Somerset Council will be capable of improving outcomes for our children?"
The Education Secretary acknowledged that there were differences between areas and said the Government was going through a "robust process" with local authorities over their SEND plans, budgets and deficits. She added that the Government was taking a "very rigorous approach" to ensuring local authorities deliver what families expect.
Somerset Council's own performance reports underline the scale of the problem. Its rolling six-month measure for EHC assessments completed within 20 weeks fell from 15% at the end of 2024/25 to just 1% at the end of 2025/26.
The Council's latest published figures also show that, for EHC plans completed between June and August 2026, the whole process took an average of 52 weeks, more than twice the statutory 20-week timeframe.
Speaking after the exchange Ashley Fox said:
"The Liberal Democrats have been running Somerset Council for more than four years. Families have waited long enough for improvement. I will continue pressing both Somerset Council and the Government until children with SEND in our county receive the timely support they deserve."
