Judicial review begins over special needs bailout
Last year, Bristol City Council entered into a deal with the Department for Education to receive extra money to help pay off a financial deficit caused by an increase in demand for special educational needs provision, or SEND.
As part of the agreement, known as a Safety Valve, the council agreed to reign in its spending, which parents feared would lead to less support for their children.
Bristol City Council said it would not comment on the case while proceedings were ongoing.
In the last few years, there has been a large increase in the number of children designated as having special educational needs in Bristol.
This has led to spiralling costs, as the council has struggled to find suitable school places for children with education, health and care plans (EHCP), which it is legally obliged to provide.
Thirty seven other councils around the country have entered into Safety Valve deals with the Department for Education.
Bristol City Council stands to get £54m over seven years, but this equates to a 25% cut in its spending on SEND.
The council was previously found to have broken the law by a judge in 2018, who ruled that cuts to its SEND budget then were illegal.
The case has been brought by Watkins Solicitors, who are representing a family from Bristol.
Managing partner of Watkins, Beverly Watkins, told the BBC: "It is so difficult, many of these parents had to give up work, they're looking after kids 24-hours-a-day.
"They don't want a golden ticket or special treatment, all they want is appropriate provision to meet the needs of their children.
"There is a chronic shortage of special schools and the idea that you can simply place the kids in mainstream schools is not a good one and will not work."
SEND campaigner Jen Smith said: "Bristol has a really long history of not getting this right.
"We're all very concerned because it will affect children now and in the future, the impact could be devastating," she added.
A judgement in the case is expected later this year.
Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Council to receive £53m bailout for SEND services
Council's SEND bailout plan criticised by charity
Council admits SEND children not having needs met
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We'll never know whether that's why Sheffield exceeded expectations in the primary — pollsters and pundits expected her to get around 35% of the vote — and why Kinloch didn't get much more than 17%, even with his massive congregation and their family and friends. My question now is whether Sheffield will pass on forums and other invitations to appear with Kinloch. As the perceived front-runner, Sheffield took more shots than any other candidate at forums and debates during the primary. And she didn't like it, often asking for a minute to rebut criticisms clearly directed at her, or trying to speak over the moderator if they didn't give her a chance to defend herself. Now that Sheffield is undeniably the front-runner, Kinloch's best chance to climb is by pulling her down — and I bet she'll have even less patience for that kind of guff. As a gifted orator comfortable communicating with a large audience, Kinloch could outshine Sheffield if they share a stage. If he misspeaks or stumbles, he has nothing to lose. If Sheffield puts her foot in her mouth, she could choke on it and let her lead slip away. I'm sure Sheffield's advisers are telling her to limit her engagements with Kinloch, and to try to avoid any joint appearance that isn't before a friendly crowd or hosted by an organization or union that already supports her. If she is given that advice, and takes it, that would be a shame. Not because everyone loves a food fight, but because we deserve to see how our leaders perform under pressure. And, make no mistake, things are going to get hotter for Detroit's next mayor as some post-bankruptcy costs kick in and the hundreds of millions in federal aid that helped Duggan succeed won't be coming from Washington in the foreseeable future. The bigger shame would be if Kinloch and his camp decide that Sheffield's lead is insurmountable and that the race is essentially already over. Kinloch vowed at his primary night party to fight block-to-block. But if the post-primary support he was expecting fails to materialize, or if he finds that most of his calls go straight to voicemail, or if volunteers stop showing up in significant numbers, he may convince himself the best way to bring about the change he says Detroit needs is by focusing on his ministry. In the first sermon Kinloch gave after reports of a domestic violence conviction from 30 years ago surfaced late in the campaign, he said he was "19, stupid, undeveloped and an immature young man" and learned from his mistake. He accused his opponents of "trying to use intimidation and bullying tactics by hiring surrogates and operatives to throw rocks and hide their hands. "I didn't ask for the fight," he said, his voice rising, "but if you want one, you're going to get it!" Then he told his cheering parishioners: "Ain't no punk in this pulpit!" We're about to find out. M.L. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter, director of student investigative reporting program Eye On Michigan, and host of the ML's Soul of Detroit podcast. Contact him at mlelrick@ or follow him on X at @elrick, Facebook at ML Elrick and Instagram at ml_elrick. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The Rev. Solomon Kinloch may need miracle to become Detroit mayor Solve the daily Crossword
