Don’t expect sympathy from County Hall

I HAD a right good laugh at county councillors Rushton and Ould moaning about lack of money for children’s special education needs. They have some brass neck. (“£500,000 a year to fund just one child’s education”, Leicester Mercury, February 5.)

Here were two senior, local Conservative politicians grumbling about having to implement regulations introduced by their own party!

“Fair enough,” one chuntered, “but give us the cash to fund these children.” This was from two men who, not more than a few weeks ago, were encouraging us to vote Conservative to continue to starve local authorities of cash.

Then they have the audacity to wheel out the statement that Leicestershire County Council will handle SEND applications in a “sympathetic yet robust” manner.

Public authorities like the county council aren’t sympathetic. Ask the parents of the child who had to fight tooth and nail, by the sounds of it, for their child’s education package.

Local government is there to administer according to rules and laws. County Hall doesn’t do tea and sympathy. Either an application is within the regulations or it isn’t.

I wonder how much the county council spent in legal and expert fees to reinterpret them to fight this and other families’ cases.

The only tea and sympathy that needs dispensing is for councillors Rushton and Ould, for their ridiculous political posturing.

Vanessa Smith, Narborough