Bristol City Council Aims For ‘Transparent Narrative’ Around SEND
The PR advice was given by one of the people responsible for collating data and monitoring Send parents’ activity online
An update regarding Bristol City Council’s Local Area SEND Reform Plan went to Bristol Schools Forum this week. The public meeting, which took place on Zoom, cannot be watched due to a ‘technical error’.
The presentation of the SEND reform plan was the only item on the agenda other than Forum business.
There were two papers regarding this agenda item uploaded ahead of the meeting.
The first was the Bristol Schools’ Forum Local Area SEND Reform Plan report written by Director of Education and Skills Vik Verma. Strategic Project Lead Kristina Alford and Head of Inclusion Helen Cox were noted to present the report on the evening.
The second paper was Bristol City Council’s SEND Reform Plan.
Right at the bottom of the first report paper was the ‘Professional comments section’. This includes financial advice, legal advice, Implications on IT advice, HR advice, Procurement and Contract Manager Advice.
Finally, at the bottom of the paper are PR comments. It’s not usual for such a section to be included in public report packs. A previous occasion that Included PR advice in Cabinet papers saw the entire agenda item removed from the meeting. When it was resubmitted, the public report no longer included John Smith’s PR advice.
The recommendation for the SEND Reform Plan from PR Manager Kathleen Manson on 03 June 2026 was for a ‘transparent narrative’.
The prediction was that Bristol City Council should ‘expect and prepare for significant media interest and public scrutiny of our Local Area SEND Reform Plan’.
The advice also given states that it is an ‘opportunity’ to make it clear what the benefits are for children and young people with SEND in Bristol.
Some Bristol families are currently waiting over 70 weeks for an Education Health Care Plan. The waits are exceeding the lawful limit of 20 weeks.
Manson’s advice included being ‘very clear’ about the ‘reality’ of Bristol City Council’s financial position – as well as the ‘challenges’ of delivering the plan.
To counter delays and challenges, the PR advice recommended a ‘proactive’ press release with comments from the council’s partners.
The SEND Reform Plan was signed off by the following boards:
BNSSG ICB Childrens Health and Care Improvement Board on 21 May 2026
Bristol City Council Corporate Leadership Board 03 June 2026
BNSSG ICB Executive Team Meeting 03 June 2026
Local Area SEND and AP Executive Board 04 June 2026
Bristol City Council Strategy and Resources Committee 15 June 2026
The ‘formal key local partners’ signing the report were:
Nick Hibberd Chief Executive Officer Local Authority Chief Executive (CEO)
Andy Rothery Executive Director of Resources Local Authority Chief Financial Officer (Section 151 Officer)
Hannah Woodhouse Executive Director of Children and Education Local Authority Director of Children’s Services (DCS)
Vik Verma Director of Education and Skills Senior Responsible Officer (SRO)
Hayley Hemming Chief Executive Chief Executive, Bristol Parent Carer Forum
Shaine Devlin Chief Executive Officer Integrated Care Board (ICB) Chief Executive
Dave Jarrett Chief Strategic Commissioning Officer ICB NHS Place Director
A blog post and a clear timeline for promotion also formed PR advice for the Reform Plan.
The full PR advice was: ‘PR comments: We should expect and prepare for significant media interest and public scrutiny of our Local Area SEND Reform Plan. We have already received requests from the media for updates on our plan. Our proposed plan has been co-produced, well received by partners and described as robust by the DfE. Therefore, I recommend a proactive approach to our promotion of this plan that aligns with any DfE requirements around communications. This is our opportunity to unpack what our plan is and make it clear what the benefits are to the families of Bristol. This is also our opportunity to start with a transparent narrative about our ambitions for children and young people with SEND in Bristol, building on the progress of our successful strategy, while also being very clear about the reality of our financial position and the challenges of delivering on this plan while the numbers of young people coming into the system continue to rise and the delays they experience. I recommend a proactive, press release with comments from partners, and/or a blog and a clear timeline for promotion.’
The messaging around ‘transparency’ is a problematic one for Bristol City Council. Plagued by accusations of spying and surveillance, an independent investigation was officially launched in December 2025 by independent barrister Aileen McColgan KC of 11 KBW.
Though eventually finding in the council’s favour, The report – Alleged Social Media Monitoring By Bristol City Council – concluded that ‘evidence gathering’, ‘surveillance’, ‘monitoring’, ‘collation and forwarding’ of Send parents’ social media did happen.
Paragraph 259 of the investigation report says: ‘It is clear that BCC Comms staff monitored and reported on commentary on the LO site elsewhere of relevance to BCC, and reported on relevant posts within BCC, and that BCC staff occasionally reported the results of such monitoring outside BCC. I also found that BCC staff engaged in two evidence gathering exercises relating to xx and xx and that these exercises were provoked by concerns about these… funding from Contact.’
Leaked emails show that in October 2021, Kathleen Manson was one of two people working in the council’s comms department that were ‘in the process of gathering as much evidence as they can…’
Not a strong start for Bristol City Council’s attempt at transparency.
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