“"We know that the council’s performance on EHCP assessments, has not been good enough. While service delivery has improved significantly over the last year, these improvements have been outstripped by a continued unprecedented increase in demand. I want to apologise to the families who have been kept waiting, in some cases far beyond the statutory deadline, and reassure them that improving the timeliness and quality of the EHCP processes is an absolute priority for us. We’re working hard to provide fair opportunities and the best possible start in life for all Cambridgeshire’s children and young people, regardless of need – so I’m really pleased we have today supported additional investment that aims to tackle the long waiting times for assessments. We will be carefully and closely monitoring the impact of this new programme, which I fully expect will prove to be a decisive turning point for the waiting families across our county."
Cambridgeshire Council Pledges £2M to Tackle EHCP Assessment Waiting Times
Councillors approve significant investment to address backlogs and improve support for families with children requiring Education, Health & Care Plans.
By Rebecca Flint
••2 min read
AI
Generic image of official documents and a gavel on a desk.
Cambridgeshire County Council has committed up to £2 million to tackle the extensive waiting times for Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) assessments for families in the county.
The decision was made at a meeting of the Children and Young People committee on Tuesday, 20 October. Councillors heard that while the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) team has increased the percentage of assessments completed within the statutory 20-week timeframe, new assessment requests have also risen significantly. This has resulted in a backlog of 784 applications.
Data presented to the committee showed a substantial increase in total plans delivered this year compared to 2025, but this has been outstripped by a continued rise in new assessment requests. Without additional investment, the number of assessments exceeding 20 weeks was forecast to increase, posing a financial risk to the council and impacting children and families.
The proposed £2 million recovery programme, to be implemented over 12 months, will prioritise the longest-waiting and highest-risk cases. It will also track incoming demand and recently delayed assessments. This proposal will now go to the Strategy and Resources Committee for final review on Thursday, 22 October.
The committee also confirmed that £4.837 million had been released by the council to support mainstream schools facing pressure from delayed EHCP assessments. Committee papers and a live stream of the meeting are available on the council's website and YouTube channel.
Based on information from the official source: Cambridgeshire County Council (20/10/2026)
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