Putting children and families first: City councillors back SEND reform

Local Lib Dem councillors have backed the recent action taken by Ed Davey and Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP, who challenged the Prime Minister to take serious steps to address the SEND crisis.

In a joint letter to the Prime Minister, the Lib Dems set out five key principles for long overdue SEND reform and called on Keir Starmer to work on a cross-party basis to ensure children with SEND and their families receive the support they deserve.

Milton Keynes Liberal Democrat councillors are now urging the Government to adopt these principles to deliver a long-term change to a system that has left children and their families struggling for too long.

The five principles include:

• Putting children and families first
• Boosting specialist capacity and improve mainstream provision
• Supporting local government
• Early identification and shorter waiting lists
• Fair SEND funding

Councillor Nana Oguntola, Lib Dem Spokesperson for Children’s Social Care, said:

“After years of Conservative neglect, it’s no wonder the system is broken. We are fully behind the push for urgent SEND reform as we have campaigning for more support in Milton Keynes for years.

“This announcement puts the focus where it belongs – on children and their families, but it all starts with fair funding and more support for local councils. These proposals are a step forward in the right direction and if taken forward, it could lead to real change for children and their families across the city.”