Graham has called for more money for East Riding children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in a debate in Parliament.
In a debate in Parliament, which he organised and led, Graham had a simple request to the government: to provide fairer funding to the local authorities getting the lowest amounts.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Graham criticised successive governments for failing to fix a broken system that leaves too many families without the support they need. He urged Ministers to prioritise increasing SEND funding to those councils with the lowest funding.
The long-serving MP works closely with Cllr Victoria Aitken, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education, to highlight the inequality between local authorities.
The East Riding receives just £968 per pupil for SEND support - the lowest in England. By contrast, Camden gets £3,565 per pupil, despite facing no rural challenges.
That’s a funding gap of over £2,500 per child, in an area where transport costs are higher, staff recruitment is tougher, and access to specialists like educational psychologists and speech therapists is limited.
Across the country, parents are battling a system that is too often slow, adversarial, and under-resourced. Schools are struggling to meet rising demand, with SENCOs overwhelmed and local authorities facing growing deficits in their high needs budgets. EHCP assessments are delayed, support plans go unreviewed, and children are missing out on the early interventions they urgently need.
Parents are battling a SEND system plagued by inconsistency and delay - but where you live too often determines the support your child receives. While some councils can fund timely assessments and tailored provision, others are left to stretch meagre budgets and cut back services.
This postcode lottery is not driven by local need, but by a national funding formula that distributes central government support unevenly and unfairly. Without urgent reform, children with identical needs will continue to receive wildly different levels of support simply because of where they live.
Graham is a long-standing supporter of parents as they try to get the best possible outcomes for their children. He chaired the House of Commons Education Committee from 2010-2015.
Graham said “I’ve spent twenty years fighting for the rights of parents – especially at home in the East Riding.
“Parents of children with special educational needs are at their wits’ ends fighting for their children’s rights to a decent education.
“That’s why I’m fighting to fund SEND education fairly so there isn’t a postcode lottery.
“All I’m asking for from the government is to tell councils what a fair level of funding is and get those councils receiving funding below that floor to that minimum level.
“It’s not fair that children in Cherry Burton are valued at £968 while a child with identical needs in Camden gets £3,565.
“I’m disappointed that the government didn’t concede that basic point at the debate, but I won’t stop working with Cllr Aitken and the f40 group to fight for fairer funding.”
