Liz Jarvis MP Backs Calls to Designate SEND Services as “Critical Infrastructure” to stop offshore profiteering

Liz Jarvis, Member of Parliament for Eastleigh, has joined calls for new legal protections to prevent private equity firms and offshore investors from treating Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision as a “cash cow.”

The proposal has been launched as the government deliver their SEND White Paper this week. The plan would see SEND services officially designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). This status - currently reserved for essential services like water and energy - would give the government power to block acquisitions that prioritise profit over the welfare of vulnerable children.

In Hampshire, the cost of SEND provision has come under increasing pressure. Nationwide, local authority spending on private SEND provision has soared, with some areas seeing a tenfold increase since 2015.

Liberal Democrat MP Liz Jarvis for Eastleigh commented: 

“It is appalling that while parents in Eastleigh are fighting tooth and nail for the support their children deserve, offshore investors are raking in millions in profit from our local council.

“Private equity funds have, for years, shamelessly exploited a loophole in the system, funnelling money overseas into shareholders' pockets and away from vital frontline care. 

“By designating SEND as critical infrastructure, we can ensure that public money stays where it is needed - supporting our most vulnerable children rather than lining the pockets of sovereign wealth funds in Abu Dhabi or private firms in Europe.”