Council funds £2.6m to bust SEND assessment waits

A senior councillor has promised a new £2.6m investment would clear a lengthy backlog in children waiting for an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

Essex County Council was named the worst local authority in England for completing EHCP assessments within the legal limit of 20 weeks in 2024.

It only saw 1% of children receive an EHCP within this target, but by March 2026 this had risen to about 20%.

Tony Ball, the councillor in charge of Essex's special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services, said the funding would combat a "broken system".

An EHCP is a legally-binding document setting out the support children need up to the age of 25.

To ease pressure on councils, the government said in February that only children with the most complex needs would be eligible for an EHCP in England from 2035.

Essex County Council said its EHCP backlog had been "largely due to a shortage" of education psychologists, but 1,200 appointments would be paid for due to the investment.

The money would also increase capacity across the council's wider SEND operations.

Ball said: "I apologise for the experience some of the families have had going through this adversarial and, recognised by all political parties, broken system."

He told BBC Essex Radio presenter Ben Fryer that council officers had been tasked with using the money to clear the EHCP backlog, adding he was "absolutely determined" it would.

Ball, the council's cabinet member for education excellence, lifelong learning and employability, said this would make a "real difference" for families.

"By acting now, we can keep up the pace, clear the backlog sooner and put the system in a strong position for the national SEND reforms when they come," he added.

Requests for an EHCP assessment in Essex rose from 4,011 in 2022/23 to 4,572 in 2024/25.

But the council said it had made significant inroads into its backlog, cutting it by more than 40% between July and February.

It has a high needs budget of £220m and has now invested an extra £9.6m into SEND services since March 2024.

Ball said: "I want to thank all of our colleagues, partners, schools and settings for their continued hard work and commitment to supporting families.

"Your dedication makes a real difference and doesn't go unnoticed."

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