To think all these Warwickshire Councillors should be fired?

[GreenBottleHanging]

If you haven’t seen the video from there Warwickshire Council meeting discussing SEND and their comments then I’ll post below (sorry but it’s the DM. The video is about halfway down).

Some comments seemed to be suggesting that these children deserve to return to institutions, to be ‘punished’ for having special educational needs. These idiots are not just ignorant, they’re dangerous. If you’ve never been around a group of children with SEND then let me tell you it’s heartbreaking. I have ADHD and life is a fucking struggle. I’m disgusted that people in power can hold such views and think they’re so acceptable they say them allowed in public.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13047901/Outrage-Warwickshire-councillors-call-return-ways-past-disabled-children-institutions-dealt-means-suggest-children-ADHD-need-strict-correction.html#article-13047901

It's a dreadful demonstration of what - very likely - is being replicated up and down the country.

But the comparison with dementia is compelling. Depressingly, the same idiots probably think the long stay care of the elderly wards were better in the 70's too.

Tie Gladys to her Buxton tip back chair or sedate her. That'll learn her and stop her keep getting up out of bed.

It was all over X yesterday - don't know if you go on there?

Yes, get them out!

Sorry, I know it’s not good but it was the link I saw on Twitter

Legally thorough they can't be fired, just not re-elected.

Warwickshire councillors apologise for special needs comments https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-68212521. This is the BBC link @Patapouf

You can not educate stupid.

Perhaps I'm a bit jaded and cynical but those apologies in the BBC link ring pretty hollow to me.

Maybe their views are normal among the people who voted for them? In which case I imagine they are safe from being ‘fired’.

Do they not have a code of conduct? Surely constituents can make a complaint and there must be something in the coc that this would come under. I'd imagine they could then take it to the Local gov Ombudsmen. I'd imagine there will be some send parents in.warsick who have gone to the lgo once or twice and are quite familiar with the process..... ic they have the time and energy.

Whether or not they think the same of the cost of social care for elderly people they certainly wouldn’t voice it! The elderly form the core Tory electorate.

Absolute dinosaurs. I hate the argument that ‘there was none of this in my day’.

There is a process for suspension and disqualification of councillors, but only if they've been on the fiddle or similar.

Being dinosaurs without a clue about the needs of the people they're supposed to be serving doesn't cut it, the only way to get rid is to make sure that they're voted out at the next election.

They are absolutely disgraceful and clearly don't have a clue what they are talking about. I worked closely with councillors for the best part of 20 years and while I came across many utterly thick and useless ones, I've never heard anything as appalling as this.

Not surprising they are Tory councillors and also thick as shit with it.

Yes I do think they need to fuck off too. They are too stupid and ignorant to be councillors.

@Baileyscream yeah they do: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/councillor-and-officer-development/councillor-hub/role-councillor/code-conduct-and

There’s nothing in it about holding unpopular and offensive opinions or the like. There have been plenty of BNP and NF councillors in the past who have been openly racist. The bar for getting rid of elected officials is, rightly, extremely high.

They may get kicked out of their party I suppose but there’s no chance they will be kicked out of office and by-elections called.

What non-apologies they gave! Totally clueless.

from the links pps have posted seems they have received quite a few complaints, and negative (100% deservedly so) national press coverage. Will it really bother them though? Not 100% convinced. All up for election next in May 2025. Likely (fingers crossed) that will not return 42/57 as conservative councillors. Other parties, wherever they may be, should use their comments against them in any upcoming elections - especially the General Election.

The only good that might come from this is that it will open the public’s eyes to how the government really view us.. as lower class entities that just don’t matter. Don’t be fooled into thinking that they care they really don’t.

I’ve seen so much that I’d never trust anyone within the system. The less they can do or get away with the better. The system is broken (or always has been) and they play it to their advantage.

The fact is that those in power only wish to control society and use the population to their own gains. Mistake after mistake has been made and this example and many others highlight that more than ever.

Why would they want children in institutions? Think about it!!!

I am certain someone will come along and say oh don’t be silly, well maybe you’ve never been lucky enough to never have witnessed the effects of being institutionalised or to what really goes on!

@puncheur it does mention respect and to not be discriminatory. I would argue that disability is a protected characteristic under the ea2010. Comments regarding children not having send snd it being bad parenting and the comment around adhd needing tougher punishment (can't remember the exact comment) could come under this as well as others, I'd guess The Councillor who made comment about little Willie's mum saying he has adhd is in my opinion incompetent in that parents can't just decree adhd and needs- these actually have to come from professional reports (I didn't check for incompetence in the coc but would throw it in for good measure). I would point out that as said above dementia isn't treated in the same way and implying that institutions should be brought back to avoid meeting their legal requirements around education is at best incompetent (right to family, education laws etc).

Go to the council website and make a complaint. You don't have to sign in. I have asked them to give them training in SEN, give disciplinary action (if it applies) as their language was discriminatory and immoral (not to mention fucking stupidly ill-informed) and said they need to publicly apologise. Doubt they will do fuck all, but they should at least know the public are angry and will not just laugh it off as some gaffe.

There’s another thread going about this with some really good posts, worth a read.

There’s 2 issues at play here I think. One, the archaic language which I agree it unacceptable.

Two, the issue behind the comments, which is the fact SEN has absolutely skyrocketed and the councils can no longer keep up with the financial strain.

Early years and education professionals with decades of experience pretty unanimously agree there has been a huge true rise in SEN as well as just better diagnosis. In particular non verbal ASD. This does need urgent investigation, as would any such increase in a condition affecting children to this extent.

It's really shocking, and the apologies are a crock of shit. 'I'm sorry if you were offended' is not the same as 'I'm sorry I said that'.

@Baileyscream
Warwick isn't the only council facing these sort of overspend and rather than cutting their cloth on the spending which they legally don't have to make, raise tax or petition the government for a higher higher needs budget it is easier to blame the children and their families.

It's not as easy as cutting non-statutory spend though. For example, reducing early help (non-statutory) is likely to lead to more families in crisis and greater demand on statutory services.

puncheur ^True. Plus it's closer to home for many of them and ND is easier for them to distance from.

Ironically, Estranged FIL is an arsehole and councillor with, I suspect, similar leanings. DH and DS have ADHD and I'd lay folding money that it is him they have inherited it from.^

Up and down the country our town halls are filled with morons like this. Most of them aren't even capable of running a bath. The wasted funds are mind-boggling. I've seen local government from the inside and it's a total shit show filled with self-serving wankers whose only concern is how much they can pay themselves and how little work they can get away with until they draw their public sector pension.

This meeting took place 25th January. Warwickshire County Council produce a SEND newsletter, the latest of which came out 2nd Feb.

https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send

Its starts with a full and seemingly genuine apology, and a plan as to how such ill-informed attitudes are being challenged and addressed.

oops sorry no it doesn't. No reference whatsoever.

For those old enough to remember it is more a West Mids version of Pravda - eulogising the wonderful services provided. ok it does not actually use the word "wonderful"; but does have a whole section on "DFE officials praise progress to improve SEND services in Warwickshire"

tbh words fail me

but perhaps the next newsletter will address what happened. I won't be holding my breath.