A leading local support group for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has issued a scathing response to Conservative Councillor Richard Holt, after he suggested some councillors were “grandstanding” with parents during public meetings.
Cllr Holt made the comment during a heated Children’s Services and Education Scrutiny Board meeting last Thursday, prompting an immediate backlash from both councillors and observers. The remark appeared to refer to families and councillors raising concerns about children’s cases in public forums like Full Council – a setting where councillors and officers are often restricted in what they can say due to confidentiality rules.
Following the controversy, Cllr Holt issued a statement to The Solihull Journal clarifying that his criticism was “aimed at councillors,” not parents:
“Parents should be entitled to raise any concerns, in a way that enables their concerns to be listened to and acted upon in the best way possible,” he said.
“My concern is that revealing private matters in public is not in the child’s best interests… elected members and officers of the council are unable to comment on individual cases because they are concerned about the child’s confidentiality.”
But in a detailed and emotional response, the Solihull SEND Support Group condemned the remarks as dismissive and damaging, saying families have turned to public meetings out of desperation, not political posturing.
“Let me be absolutely clear: speaking out about a child being left without education for months is not grandstanding,” the group said.
“Sharing the trauma endured by children—some as young as eight—who now require mental health therapy not because of their home environments, but due to harmful experiences within the education system—is not political theatre. These are not anecdotes for effect. These are the lived, ongoing realities of families failed by a system that is supposed to protect and uplift them.”
The group accused the Council of breaching statutory duties, neglecting legal rulings, and failing to properly engage with parents and carers, despite the borough losing the vast majority of SEND tribunal cases brought against it.
“These families are not ‘performing’—they are pleading. They are not posturing—they are desperate for accountability and change,” the group added.
The statement also referenced recent events at the scrutiny board meeting, which saw the controversial removal of Chair Cllr Samantha Gethen and Vice Chair Cllr Sarah Phipps following a vote pushed through by the Conservative group — despite legal advice during the meeting indicating there was no formal process in place for such removals.
“Cllr Gethen was removed without proper procedure, due process, or transparency,” the group said, accusing Conservative councillors of “coercion” and likening the conduct during the meeting to “bullying.”
“That chamber, meant to serve and protect vulnerable children and families, resembled a schoolyard more than a place of governance.”
The group defended Cllr Gethen as one of the few councillors who truly understands the system’s failures from a lived-experience perspective.
“She understands what it means when children and families are failed by services. Her compassion, clarity, and willingness to listen have been consistent. She doesn’t just speak about change—she advocates for it with credibility and integrity.”
The group concluded by reiterating that they would not be silenced:
“Accountability is not grandstanding. It is the absolute minimum standard the public should expect from their elected officials… Solihull can do better. Solihull must do better.”
The council’s Children’s Services remain under intense scrutiny following multiple critical reports, legal challenges, and the ongoing aftermath of the borough’s involvement in the case of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
Calls continue from families and campaigners for greater transparency, consistent leadership, and respectful treatment of all voices in the SEND community.