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# Lichfield MP calls for SEND reassurances from new Reform UK county council leader
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/lichfield-mp-calls-for-send-reassurances-from-new-reform-uk-county-council-leader/
- Published: 2025-05-28T06:08:00.000Z
- Updated: 2025-05-29T13:28:43.000Z
- Description: Lichfield’s MP has called on the newly-elected leader of Staffordshire County Council to give assurances that support for children with special educational needs and disabilities will not be cut.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Education, Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:49, News

LICHFIELD’S MP has called on the newly-elected leader of Staffordshire County Council to give assurances that support for children with special educational needs and disabilities will not be cut.

It comes after comments made by Reform UK’s national leader Nigel Farage suggesting “mental illness problems and those with other general behavioural disabilities” were overdiagnosed and that it was creating “a class of victims in Britain”.

The elections on 1st May saw the party claim control of Staffordshire County Council which oversees local education provision, including support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Now Lichfield’s Labour MP Dave Robertson has joined Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in seeking reassurances from Cllr Ian Cooper, the new leader of the council, that vital services won’t be the target of cuts.

Mr Robertson said:

> “I taught in secondary schools across the Midlands for almost a decade and I know first-hand the impact that getting the right support to young people at the right time can have.  
>  
> “It’s not only wrong to say that neurodivergent kids are badly behaved – it’s deeply offensive to them, their families and the people who work hard to help them learn.  
>  
> “Staffordshire’s new Reform leadership must make clear whether they will stand with the children and families they represent or with the shameful ignorance of Nigel Farage.”

Cllr Cooper said Government funding was failing to meet the demands for SEND provision in Staffordshire.

> “The issue of special educational needs and disabilities in schools is hugely important to us, and is one of our top priorities.  
>  
> “We are passionate about wanting to improve support for children with SEND, but the reality is that Staffordshire has been underfunded by Government in this area for years. The funding the county council receives is not nearly enough to meet the increasing needs for support we are seeing in the county.  
>  
> “Politics is about choices and the use of finite resources. Over the past few decades successive governments have funded other initiatives, while critical services for the most vulnerable in society – such as SEND – remain underfunded. We are restricted by decisions made at a national level on what to fund.  
>  
> “We are committed to supporting children and young people with SEND, but without national policy changes and proper funding, we can only do so much to ensure these children can thrive.  
>  
> “I would welcome the support of David Robertson – and indeed all of our MPs – in speaking to Government about the funding Staffordshire gets for pupils with SEND and how this can be increased.”