Leader of Bristol City Council – Tony Dyer – finishes the year off with chilling message for Send families

‘Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and a Happy New Year!’

Bristol City Council leader Tony Dyer finishes off his festive reflections on 2025 and looking ahead, following a threat of ‘reform’ on services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send).

‘Next year will bring difficult decisions as we continue to reform services such as SEND and council housing,’ he says.

Dyer says: ‘Twelve months ago, Bristol City Council was facing serious financial pressure. We were working to balance the budget, introducing a brand-new committee system and navigating special arrangements to some of our key services including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), planning and our council-owned housing. These challenges were real, but they did not define us.’

Whilst the challenges did not ‘define’ Tony Dyer, they were certainly defining the lives of families affected by ongoing Send chaos.

The year had already started with a Judicial Review in the High Court following a secret Safety Valve Agreement that took place without consultation.

Tony Dyer, had allowed a very late Cabinet agenda item to sign up to the debt management programme at Overview Scrutiny and Management Board in 2024. He gave permission for the late item, which appeared online just 24 hours ahead of the meeting.

At the time Dyer said: ‘‘Unless I was willing to accept that not only the Mayor of Bristol but also several senior officers were complicit in creating a false narrative around the urgency of the decision required by the Department for Education, then I had no evidential reason for refusing to agree to APR16 being applied.”

But false narratives are something that has not escaped the Bristol council leader once reaching his position of power.

In a message to Chopsy Bristol in 2023, Tony Dyer electioneered using Send to manipulate his way to the top of the council.

This was a position that went full u-turn in June 2025. Green Councillor for Southville Ward – and Tony Dyer’s ward partner Christine Townsend – said in Children and Young People Committee: “The other thing I would say about social media is that if somebody puts something in the public domain it’s not spying.”

If Tony Dyer thought the spying was going away he was deluding himself.

The Greens were forced to make yet another u-turn on the Send spying with an independent investigation finally voted through a second time and currently taking place.

Send is still not looking good for Bristol City Council with the current Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) process likely to take two years to clear.

There is suspicion within the Send community that EHCPs that are issued on time are not necessarily being issued with a placement. This artificially speeds up the process forcing families down the Tribunal route.

At November’s Bristol Schools Forum, concerns regarding the “significantly high” Safety Valve Agreement were raised once again.

Bristol City Council said in papers for the meeting: ‘Whilst the forecast overspend in the DSG [Dedicated Schools Grant] is continuing to grow, the Safety Valve programme is continuing to develop further mitigations to meet demand for SEND support within available funding.’

There is plenty of money in Send for consultancy. Newton Consulting is one such winner, having worked with Bristol City Council on the Families First programme.

The Bristolian reported in August that the firm were tasked with cutting £65m in exchange for £7.5m. This is despite failure in both education and children’s services leading to serious youth violence in the city.

More empty words on cultural institutions that will ‘continue to inspire and educate’ ring hollow to the 26 arts organisations in Bristol in the face of cultural Investment Programme cut.

‘What defines Bristol is our ability to adapt and pull together,’ Tony Dyer says. No. What defines Bristol is its ability to pull together and say “no”.

The whole of Tony Dyer’s Christmas message to Bristol:

Reflections on 2025 and looking ahead

23 December 2025 at 10:00

As the year draws to a close, Councillor Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, reflects on 2025 and looks ahead to the year to come.

This time of year is a chance to reflect on what has happened over the last 12 months and what lies ahead. The year 2025 has been one of of change and challenge, but it has also reminded us of the importance of community and resilience.  

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has played a part in Bristol’s story this year, including residents, volunteers, council staff, councillors and partners. I hope you can see that the changes we’ve made behind the scenes are already making a difference. 

Twelve months ago, Bristol City Council was facing serious financial pressure. We were working to balance the budget, introducing a brand-new committee system and navigating special arrangements to some of our key services including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), planning and our council-owned housing. These challenges were real, but they did not define us.  

What defines Bristol is our ability to adapt and pull together. Over the course of 2025 we have taken steps to stabilise the council’s finances and improve our financial position. We balanced our budget for 2024/25 and despite challenges have a plan in place to do the same for 2025/26. At the same time, we’ve established a new governance model based on cross-party committees and appointed a new strategic leadership team to support transparent decision-making. This work has laid strong foundations for the future. 

This past year was also about setting a clear direction. We launched a new Corporate Strategy for 2025 to 2030, bringing our priorities into focus. These include improving access to education and jobs, supporting health and wellbeing, providing safe and affordable homes, creating greener and easier ways to travel and accelerating climate action and nature recovery. This year marked the start of that work and is the first step towards a fairer, greener and more resilient Bristol.  

We have stuck to our values, even during difficult times. We remain a City of Sanctuary, reflecting our commitment to welcoming and supporting those seeking refuge and safety. Through the Bristol Impact Fund we have awarded over £8 million into community projects that build skills, tackle inequality and support local priorities. Our cultural institutions continue to inspire and educate through exhibitions exploring identity and heritage. We remain committed to developing more sustainable, long-term approaches to cultural investment so these institution can continue to play a key role in our city’s identity.  

Climate action has remained a priority. We have expanded our electric vehicle fleet, strengthened our city’s flood defences and river walls and supported schemes that help residents and businesses invest in renewable energy. These initiatives are important on their own, but together they show how fairness and sustainability go hand-in-hand to help create a better city.  

We know there is still more work to do. The cost of living continues to affect households across Bristol, and too many residents waiting for a secure home or the right support. Next year will bring difficult decisions as we continue to reform services such as SEND and council housing. Our Corporate Strategy gives us the framework, our new leadership and governance give us the tools, and our communities give us the drive to keep moving forward. This puts us in a stronger position to face these challenges with greater stability, clearer priorities and a renewed sense of direction. 

As we enter 2026, we will keep working to protect and enhance our environment, deliver the homes, jobs and services Bristol needs and make sure every resident feels they belong and can thrive.  

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and a Happy New Year!

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