The unwillingness of either of the Government contenders to make future SEND spending commitments risks the problem not getting the pre-election focus it requires, says Greg Clark

Every member of Parliament is supporting many young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) obtain the assessment and provision that they need.

In my own constituency I have been helping 47 families with SEND needs in the last 12 months alone. Colleagues in local government will share that experience. Nationally, the number of children and young people with an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) has more than doubled in the last few years from 240,000 in England in 2015 to 517,000 in England at the beginning of last year.