14/10/2026
EHCP County Chaos: Cross-party motion runs out of time to vote on pressing issue for children and families.
On 13 October, Cambridgeshire County Councillors debated a motion proposed by Cllr Alex Bulat (Labour and Co-Operative) and seconded by Cllr Mark Goldsack (Conservative) on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) delays.
The motion noted how EHCPs must be completed within 20 weeks by law. Yet over 93% are issued outside that statutory deadline. Families are left waiting an average of 425 days, more than 14 months, just to secure basic educational adjustments.
National Government confirmed they will cover up to 90% of the SEND deficit if there is a valid recovery plan. Lib Dem-led Cambridgeshire County Council’s plan has not been accepted yet, only 1 of 8 across England to be deferred. Most councils have had their plans approved, including neighbouring Peterborough.
The motion asked for publishing an equality impact assessment, commissioning an urgent peer review with high-performing councils like Lincolnshire or Telford, and committing to delivering the support Cambridgeshire’s vulnerable children are legally and morally entitled to receive.
The Liberal Democrat leader of the Council proposed an amendment including wording to blame national Labour Government and include positive mentions of her administration. The amendment was carried with Lib Dem administration votes, but then the leader stated her group will vote against the amended motion.
The motion then ran out of the time allocated for motion debates. Cllr Bulat re-submitted the motion for the next County Council meeting on 15 December 2026.
Cllr Alex Bulat, who proposed the motion, said:
“The County must do better on EHCPs. Every week of delays is another week children do not get the support they are entitled to and another week of increasing school budget deficits.
The Lib Dems had nothing of substance to add to the original, cross-party motion except from political point-scoring against the Labour Government. They probably even did not agree with their amendment as they then said they will vote against the amended motion.
Blaming current or previous Governments will not teach a struggling child to read, nor will it support an overwhelmed teacher. Accountability is essential in local councils, and the Lib Dems have sadly demonstrated they are more interested in scoring national political points than supporting a motion that mandates practical, local actions we have control over.”
