IN THE NEWS
DONCASTER COUNCILLOR’S FIRM CUTS SCHOOL TIES AFTER CONTROVERSIAL CLAIMS ABOUT PARENTS
A Doncaster councillor’s business will stop providing school tran- sport for the city council following a backlash over his claims that parents “train” their children to “comply” with special education needs criteria. Cllr David Knight, a Reform UK member and director of Ward Transportation Ltd, sparked out- rage during a council meeting in March where he suggested that many children do not actually need SEND support and that families are gaming the system to get extra money and services. During a six-minute speech regarding budget overspends, Cllr Knight argued that the desire for financial aid has caused an “explosion” in SEND claims. He told the committee: “Benefits have caused the explosion of SEN
claims… benefits include a child being placed in a satellite school, with one-to-one tuition, transport provided, complete with passenger assistance, and the parent being awarded financial packages to assist.” He further claimed that parents coach their children to meet specific medical benchmarks. “To achieve SEN status for the child, criteria have to be met. Once a parent knows the criteria, a child is often trained to comply,” he said. The councillor also stated that schools intentionally push under- performing students into the SEND system to protect their own academic rankings, adding: “There is and always will be a small percentage of children in need of SEN genuinely.” The comments stunned those in
attendance, with another councillor later describing the speech as “utter madness.” At the time of the remarks, Cllr Knight’s company was one of 32 firms paid by the council to ferry SEND students to and from school. A spokesperson for the Reform UK group said Cllr Knight has now decided to give up his council taxi contracts “following this matter.” The group defended him by saying his comments were based on “personal experiences and perceptions developed over many years” and were meant to highlight the high costs of social care. The spokesperson added: “The views expressed by Cllr Knight were his own, but they were made in the context of raising concerns about system pressures, not to cause offence.”
KENT TAXI FIRMS FLAGGED OVER £85,000 IN IRREGULAR SEND TRANSPORT CLAIMS
Taxi companies responsible for driving SEND children to school have been caught submitting nearly £85,000 in “irregular” invoices over just three months. A Kent County Council fraud report revealed the discrepancies, which involve transport services for approximately 6,000 children. The council’s public transport department discovered the issues by checking invoices against school attendance records and other data. According to the report, the council is taking a firm stand against these errors, stating that “warnings are issued to suppliers and contracts
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are terminated where appropriate.” Officials warned that companies caught repeatedly could be banned from future work, noting that “suppliers may be prevented from engaging in further contracts if subsequent instances are identified.” The “irregularities” often involve contract mismanagement, such as billing for trips that never happened or simple data entry mistakes. To recover the money, the council confirmed that “any over-claims are netted off against future payments or via invoice if this is not possible.” This latest discovery follows a
separate investigation between April and August 2024, which found another £30,000 in questionable claims. Beyond taxi contracts, the report highlighted wider fraud concerns, including 245 penalties for the misuse of blue badge disability parking permits. Authorities noted that the use of stolen, forged, or deceased people’s badges remains a persistent problem. In response, Kent County Council says it has “beefed up” its fraud prevention by
using better
technology and increasing staff training to spot potential losses.
MAY 2026 PHTM
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