Bristol EHCP Backlog Could Be “Over Two Years”

The council was challenged in Member Forum over a lack of targets in its EHCP improvement plan

Bristol City Council’s Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) backlog could continue for another two years.

The concern over lengthy delays to the process was raised at Member Forum this week by Liberal Democrat Councillor for Hengrove & Whitchurch Park Tim Kent.

Kent had already raised concerns ahead of the meeting asking how long it would take for Bristol City Council to be ‘compliant’ with the statutory 20 week deadline to issue a plan.

Currently the council is only managing to issue 05 per cent of the plans on time.

It’s aim is to issue at least half of its EHCPs on time by the end of March 2026.

In the meeting, Kent said: “I read through the improvement plan and it certainly did set some good measures in place to bring improvement. But what I did not see there were any clear targets or milestones for how we measure success within that plan.

“So I guess my question is is how are we going to do that? Because reading through the plan, it would appear to me that we could be looking at our backlog for over two years based on those resources identified.

“So are you going to talk with officers about having a clear set of milestones and targets so we can see success and see where we might eventually get end this terrible backlog which I know has dogged us for many years?”

His question was answered by Green Party Councillor for Southville, Christine Townsend – who is the city’s education lead and chair of Children and Young People Policy Committee.

Councillor Townsend said: “So originally it was 50 per cent by the end of March. Since that has been set, the review at the national level has been now set back twice. And that has an impact on both our ability to maintain staff and keep up our staff morale. Our ability to recruit successfully to those new posts.

“But it also has an impact on how families and schools feel about the send system in general.

“We will continue to look to get it to 50 per cent by the end of March. However, there are things that are outside of our our control as a local authority. And so what the focus has become, because the national picture is in flux and remains to be in flux. We are looking at the productivity side of it and we’re looking at what we are able to complete compared to the previous year to make sure that the investment that’s gone in is having the impact that we would expect it to have. And that’s that’s honestly where we are.”

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