Councillors off committee after SEND remarks - leader

Warwickshire County Council leader Isobel Seccombe said the councillors were "coming off" the panel

Three councillors accused of making offensive comments about children with special educational needs are “coming off” a committee, a council leader has said.

Warwickshire county councillors Jeff Morgan, Brian Hammersley and Clare Golby have faced calls to resign following remarks during a meeting of the children and young people scrutiny committee in January.

The comments included the claim that children were “just really badly behaved” and parents were swapping diagnosis tips on social media.

The three Conservative councillors have since apologised.

Despite the calls for them to step down, Warwickshire County Council's Tory leader Isobel Seccombe said she would not be removing the whip “at this moment in time”.

She told BBC Politics Midlands that inquiries were being carried out and she was keen to hear “all voices”, confirming that hundreds of complaints have been received.

Councillors Brian Hammersley (left) and Jeff Morgan (right) spoke during a SEND discussion in January

“I’m also going to add that they [the councillors] are coming off the scrutiny panel and I’m putting a programme in of training, development and education,” she said.

“I’m a believer that the way you try to engage people in your argument is by including them, engaging them, educating them. Excluding them – you would not win hearts and minds.”

She repeated the “heartfelt” apology from the authority and said what happened was not characteristic of her administration.

Councillor Clare Golby asked whether "parenting" was an issue to be looked at

At a meeting about the rising cost of council support on 25 January, Mr Morgan had questioned whether some children receiving funding were "just really badly behaved."

Mr Hammersley asked if "something in the water" was increasing special needs cases, with Mrs Golby having questioned whether the increase could be linked to social media sites where families were "swapping tips on how to get their children diagnosed."

Ellie Costello, co-ordinator for SEND Crisis Warwickshire, said it had been a “desperately sad” time for parents of children with special educational needs or disabilities.

Ellie Costello, co-ordinator for SEND Crisis Warwickshire, said removing the whip from the councillors would help to draw a line under the saga

“It’s just been an enormous shock but unfortunately not a surprise. I think parents feel that they have been facing these types of stereotypical views for a long time,” she said to BBC Politics Midlands.

“It’s very difficult to feel heard or to access support, and the narratives that were given that criteria is too low and that it’s too easy to get support is far from it.”

She said removing the whip from the councillors would help to draw a line under the saga.