Three Tories probed over 'Dickensian' remarks about children with special needs

07 February 2024 , 16:18

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Three Tory councillors are being investigated over "Dickensian" comments they made about children with special educational needs.

Brian Hammersley asked during a Warwickshire County Council meeting whether there was "something in the water" as he questioned why there are "so many people now jumping out with these needs".

His colleague Clare Golby suggested parents were "comparing notes" on how to get their children diagnosed. And in a widely-shared clip Jeff Morgan said a child with ADHD, might be "really badly behaved" and "need some form of strict correction".

All three have apologised after remarks came to light, and a council investigation has been opened. It comes after a montage clip of their comments from a meeting last month was shared online, sparking fury.

A mum who shared the footage online said the councillors' apologies were not sufficient and that they should do the "decent thing" and resign.

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Three Tories probed over 'Dickensian' remarks about children with special needs

Jeff Morgan said a child with ADHD, might be "really badly behaved" and "need some form of strict correction"

In the meeting, Mr Hammersley, in an apparent reference to a recent rise in Send "special educational needs and disabilities) cases, can be heard to ask "is it something in the water?" He also questioned why there are "so many people now jumping out with these needs", asking "where were they in the past when I was at school? I'd never heard of Send."

Someone explains that children with special needs were not seen in schools in the 1960s and 1970s because they were placed in institutions. Later in the clip, Mr Hammersley said: "I don't know what the fix is, I just look back at years gone by. Those people were dealt with by whatever means, it was right at the time."

Ms Golby is heard to ask: "What comes down to parenting and what comes down to Send issues?" She told the meeting she had seen sites where families were "swapping tips on how to get their children diagnosed".

Brian Hammersley has apologised for his comments

And Mr Morgan described how rather than a child having ADHD, they might be "really badly behaved" and "need some form of strict correction". The council said it had received a number of complaints about the comments, made on January 25. It said the remarks had caused "significant offence, distress and upset to children and their families" and insisted they "are not representative of the views of the wider council body".

The Disabled Children's Partnership, a coalition of more than 100 organisations, said: "Unfortunately, the Warwickshire councillors' Dickensian attitudes are not unique." Its campaign manager, Stephen Kingdom, said: "This lack of understanding is astonishing in 2024 and shows how much education is required for people making life or death decisions about vulnerable children."

The complaints are now being considered as part of an investigation by the council's monitoring officer. Mr Morgan said he regretted "any offence caused by my choice of words" while Mr Hammersley said he regretted his "clumsiness and lack of care in choosing my words" as he committed to being "more thoughtful with my questions and words in future".

Clare Golby also faces calls to resign

Ms Golby also apologised for the offence caused and accepted "that the words I used at the meeting were open to interpretation". A protest outside the council buildings has been organised by a parents' group to take place on Thursday against "the disgusting language" used at the meeting.

Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, Matt Western, said he had written to the leader of the council "to express my profound concern over the comments".

Elissa Novak, whose four-year-old son is non-verbal and has mobility issues, saw the "frightening" comments had been made and was moved to find the footage and share it online. The 33-year-old from Nuneaton said: "I think you have to actually see the words be spoken to get the full impact." She insisted the "only decent thing to do" is for the councillors to resign.

She said: "I don't think those apologies are anywhere near sufficient to cover what was actually said and how harmful what they said was. They also waited nearly two weeks to say (sorry), it was only the fact that it got to this level of outrage that anything was said. If that hadn't happened, would they gave apologised?"