The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Barking and Dagenham Council met on Wednesday 11 February 2026 to discuss the EHC process and a financial review of Public Health spending. Key discussions included the data gathered and reported for the EHC process, highlighting increased demand and challenges in meeting timescales, and a review of public health expenditure which identified potential misapplication of funds and led to the implementation of new financial controls.

The EHC Process: Data Gathering and Reporting

The committee received a detailed report on the data gathered and reported for the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process. Jane Hargreaves, Commissioning Director of Education, and Denise Watts, Head of Statutory SEND Services, presented the findings. The data revealed a significant increase in referrals for EHC needs assessments, with a 23% rise over the last four years. This surge in demand has placed considerable pressure on the service, leading to challenges in meeting statutory timescales for assessments and issuing plans.

Key statistics presented included:

• Assessment Requests: An increase from 526 in SEN2 2023 to 639 in SEN2 2025.
• Plans Issued: The number of EHC plans issued more than doubled between SEN2 2023 (259) and SEN2 2024 (520), a level that was largely sustained in SEN2 2025 (466).
• Timeliness: The percentage of EHC plans issued within the 20-week statutory timeframe fluctuated, with 27.7% in SEN2 2025, which is still below the national average of 46.4%.
• Mediation and Tribunals: There was a notable increase in both mediation requests and tribunal appeals, indicating a rise in disputes between parents and the local authority.
• Placements: The total number of EHC plans maintained increased from 2,122 in SEN2 2023 to 3,063 in SEN2 2025. There was a significant rise in children placed in mainstream schools, including those in SEN units and resourced provisions. However, the number of children in special schools also increased, with a growth from 585 to 822 places since 2023.
• Primary SEN Need: The data showed a continued increase in children identified with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), which are now the most prevalent primary needs.

Concerns were raised about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's needs and the erosion of early intervention services. The committee also discussed the challenges of supporting young people aged 20-25 with SEND, particularly in finding suitable pathways to employment and adulthood.

The report also touched upon the upcoming government reforms to the SEND system, with a white paper expected to be published. Local authorities will be required to develop Local SEND Reform Plans based on five principles: early, local, fair, effective, and shared.

Financial Review of Public Health Spend

The committee reviewed a financial report concerning Public Health spending for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 fiscal years. Maureen, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing, and Matthew Cole, Director of Public Health, presented the findings.

The review identified potential non-compliant expenditure and a lack of transparency in the allocation of the ring-fenced Public Health Grant. It was discovered that approximately £1.8 million in grant funding may have been misapplied, with £675,000 of this being diverted to support the General Fund savings in 2022/23. This expenditure was in contravention of the grant conditions.

In response to these findings, the Council has implemented several measures to strengthen financial management and oversight:

• Public Health Grant Executive Assurance & Oversight Board: This new sub-board of the Executive, chaired by the Strategic Director for Children and Adults, will provide oversight and assurance for the grant. It includes representation from finance, audit, and public health leads and will meet quarterly.
• Revised Budget Accountability: The Director of Public Health now has direct oversight of all Public Health Grant allocations, regardless of which department they are within.
• Enhanced Internal Controls and Monitoring: Monthly monitoring meetings between Finance and Public Health leads are now in place, with quarterly reviews of spend against budgets.
• Memorandum of Understanding: Directorate leads must now sign a memorandum of understanding for any projects funded by the grant, committing to key deliverables.
• Compliance Measures: Budgets are now realigned quarterly, and actual spend is matched with journal transfers. The Revenue Outturn return will be jointly completed by Finance and Public Health leads, and the final assurance statement will be jointly signed by the Director of Public Health and the Section 151 Officer.

Despite the identified issues, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that the Council will not have to repay the £1.8 million, provided the General Fund repays this amount to Public Health for reallocation. The Council has proactively declared the potential issue, which was viewed positively by the DHSC.

The committee discussed the importance of housing and employment in improving healthy life expectancy, noting that 80% of health improvements lie outside of traditional health and social care services. There was a commitment to potentially reallocate more funding towards housing and health initiatives in the coming year.

The committee also noted that the work programme for future meetings would include an update on the BD Group and a social housing item.