News / SEND
Independent investigation could finally examine ‘spying’ allegations
A senior Green Party councillor has raised the possibility of an independent investigation into allegations of ‘spying’ on parents by council officers.
Christine Townsend’s comments come two months after a mum of children with special educational needs asked council leader Tony Dyer if he was “now being cowardly or just totally bent” for failing to launch a long-promised independent inquiry into the SEND ‘spying’ scandal.
That question from Jen Smith was made three years after a majority of councillors under the former Labour administration voted in favour of an investigation into how the authority’s officers monitored the social media of SEND parents.
is needed now More than ever
Calls for an inquiry followed leaked emails in 2022 that revealed how staff at City Hall collected and shared a dossier of posts critical of the organisation, cross-referencing anonymous Twitter accounts with private Facebook wedding photos.
Despite the vote at a full council meeting to approve a Conservative motion calling on former mayor Marvin Rees to agree to an external probe, this has never happened.
A council ‘fact-finding report’ report from 2022 into whether council officers unlawfully spied on parents of children with SEND absolved officers of any wrongdoing and was later branded a “whitewash” by parents, including Smith, who has previously stood as a Lib Dem council candidate.
In June, Townsend appeared to defend the social media monitoring, saying “the thing I would say about social media is that if somebody puts something in the public domain, it’s not spying. If something is in the public domain, they have put it in the public domain.”
Southville councillors Christine Townsend and Tony Dyer, who was recently asked in a council meeting by a parent of a child with SEND if he was “being cowardly or just totally bent” – photo: Green Party
Townsend has now released a statement clarifying her views on the need for an external report into the scandal.
She said: “The actions of the previous Labour mayoral administration have resulted in more than one legal case being brought against the council by the parents and carers of SEND children.
“Several have said to have been in relation to the viewing and collating of social media data from the parents of SEND children, which has been widely reported on.
“These cases have now been settled, which opens the way for the next steps, which could include an independent investigation into these allegations, as voted for at full council.
“Labour did not deliver an external investigation during their time in office. In fact, they did not vote for the proposal at all…
“Following discussion in the children & young people’s policy committee, officers have asked for further evidence relating to the allegations of more recent or ongoing concerns.
“The council will investigate any concerns and act if it is found that there has been anything inappropriate in breach of our policies.
“At a recent meeting of the committee, councillor (Kerry) Bailes spoke passionately about her experiences as a parent of a child with SEND.
“Despite not voting at full council for an independent investigation at the time, cllr Bailes is now asking for just that.
“I have known cllr Bailes for many years and know that she is authentic and passionate about the quality of SEND educational services and a continual advocate for the ward she represents.
“I invite cllr Bailes and her political colleagues to work with the appropriate officers to bring their proposals to the committee outlining the next steps.
“I hope that my Labour colleagues will also be able to encourage members from the previous administration into engaging with the process for completeness.
“The final decision on how to take this forward, following any proposals being put forward, must be made by a vote of the committee.
“Following a significant rise in needs of children with SEND, we are all dedicated to supporting these most vulnerable children and young people.
“I am committed to supporting our team to be entirely focused on doing just that and would invite all councillors to support us in this effort.”
Main photo: X
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