16 Jul 2025
The MPs for St Albans and Harpenden have condemned rumours that the Labour Government could scrap vital support for the county’s pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
12,920 children in Hertfordshire who have EHCPs (Education, Health and Care plans) are at risk of losing support, as it’s rumoured it could scrap EHCPs – a legally binding document that outlines a child or young person’s special educational needs and the support they are entitled to receive.
Of these, 6,348 pupils with EHCPs in Hertfordshire are in mainstream schools, and may be at particular risk of losing their rights to assessment and support under Labour’s rumoured plans.
MPs Victoria Collins and Daisy Cooper are calling for young people and their families to have their legal rights protected after campaigning for SEND improvements for years.
Victoria said: “The fact that 12,920 children in Hertfordshire are at risk of losing their SEND support is simply unacceptable. Behind these numbers are real families who are being forced to fight for the basic services their children need to thrive in our schools.
“We cannot afford to make any more mistakes when it comes to supporting our most vulnerable young people.
Daisy said: “Local SEND families will be incredibly worried by these rumours so the Government needs to urgently clarify what reforms it intends to bring forward and what impact they will have on children.
“Local SEND families were let down for years by a Conservative Government that refused to reform the broken funding formula and by Conservatives in County Hall who sat on their hands, failed to deliver the special school places we need and received the worst possible Ofsted rating for their SEND services.
“Just as Hertfordshire Lib Dems have made improving SEND services a top priority, so too should this Labour Government – and that starts by promising that no child in Hertfordshire or beyond will lose their legal rights.”
