A mother is suing Tower Hamlets Council and other authorities in the High Court, alleging they “turned a blind eye” to abuse her autistic child suffered in state schools. The £1 million case centres on claims the council has withheld funds that were part of the child’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – money intended to secure the specialist support the child legally requires. The mother told The Standard that her experience is not isolated, saying she knows “at least seven other sets of parents who are also going through similar challenges with the council regarding accountability in EHCP delivery”. She accused the local authority of ignoring the issue “in order to uphold their Outstanding Ofsted status”.
The lawsuit and allegations of withheld EHCP funds
The legal action, brought against Tower Hamlets Council along with other unnamed authorities, alleges systemic failures in delivering the funding required under the child’s EHCP. Education, Health and Care Plans are statutory documents issued by local authorities in England for children and young people aged up to 25 who have special educational needs. They set out the precise support a child must receive, from classroom assistance to therapy, and can include a personal budget that the parent or school can use to buy services. Under the Children and Families Act 2014, it is the council’s duty to carry out assessments, issue plans and – crucially – ensure the agreed provision is actually delivered.
The mother claims the council withheld significant sums from the allocated personal budget, leaving her child without necessary interventions and exposing him to harm in mainstream school settings. She alleges the abuse included physical restraint, inappropriate seclusion and a failure to make reasonable adjustments, all of which she says the council was aware of but did not act on. Her legal team is understood to be arguing that the council’s actions amount to a breach of the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act, and she is seeking damages for the impact on her son’s wellbeing and education.
Figures obtained through freedom of information requests show the scale of EHCP growth in the borough: the number of pupils with a plan rose by approximately 75% between the 2015/16 academic year and 2023/24, from 1,850 to 3,251 pupils. This surge has placed immense pressure on the council’s ability to deliver on its statutory duties. The mother told The Standard she had raised concerns repeatedly with council officers and elected members, but was met with delay, obfuscation and what she described as “a culture of denial”. She said: “They know they are not doing what the law requires, but they hope families will give up or run out of money to fight them.”
Council under scrutiny: governance failures and Ombudsman findings
Tower Hamlets Council has faced repeated criticism over its handling of special educational needs provision. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has upheld several complaints against the authority in recent years. In December 2023 the Ombudsman ordered the council to pay over £10,000 after it failed to properly consider alternative education for a boy with autistic spectrum disorder, delayed assessments and was late in issuing an EHCP. The council was also told to provide staff training on neurodiversity, autism and ADHD. In August 2025 the Ombudsman ordered payment of £5,550 to a mother after the council failed to provide suitable education for her child for approximately two terms, communicated poorly, and delayed arranging additional support outlined in the plan. Most recently, in February 2026, the Ombudsman upheld a complaint about delays in issuing an EHCP, poor communication and mishandling of a Personal Budget request, ordering compensation.
These individual failures sit within a broader context of governance problems at Tower Hamlets. The council has been under statutory intervention since January 2025, with Ministerial Envoys embedded until at least March 2028 – the second time in a decade central government has stepped in, with Mayor Lutfur Rahman in office on both occasions. In November 2024 the government found the council failing its Best Value Duty in governance, leadership, culture and partnerships, with inspectors noting “evidence of a culture of patronage” in appointments and a significant accumulation of concerns. An external audit by Ernst & Young highlighted weaknesses in internal controls, financial reporting and procurement, stating the council “lacked effective arrangements to manage risk and maintain sound internal control”. The council’s General Fund revenue reserves collapsed from £151 million in 2024/25 to just £87.3 million in 2025/26 – a 42% reduction. In December 2025 the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering at the council, focusing on procurement processes and contract awards, centred on allegations that a former employee improperly approved services and payments with undeclared conflicts of interest.
Inspectors have described a “toxic and secretive culture” at the authority, with decision-making dominated by the mayor’s inner circle. There is evidence of a “two-council” culture between senior management and the Mayor’s Office, leading to bottlenecks and slow decision-making, and a lack of trust between members and officers. Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s history adds further context: he served as mayor from 2010 to 2015, but his re-election in 2014 was declared void in April 2015 after an Election Court found him “personally guilty” of “corrupt or illegal practices” including false statements about candidates, administering council grants as electoral bribery, and spiritual intimidation of voters. He was disqualified from public office until 2021. He was re-elected in May 2022 under his Aspire party banner.
The mother’s claim that the council is prioritising its Ofsted rating over the needs of children with EHCPs is a direct challenge to the local authority’s most celebrated recent achievement. Tower Hamlets’ Children’s Services received an “Outstanding” rating from Ofsted in January 2025 – a dramatic recovery from an “Inadequate” rating in 2017. Inspectors praised “the timely and effective help children receive” and the “ambition of the staff”. A joint area SEND inspection in June 2025 also noted “accelerated improvement” since 2019. Yet the mother insists that the “Outstanding” label masks deep flaws in how the council treats families of disabled children. She said: “They have used the Ofsted rating as a shield. If they admitted how badly they are failing children with EHCPs, they could lose that status. So they cover it up, delay and deny. My son paid the price.”
The council has previously taken part in a UNICEF UK Child Rights Partners programme aimed at embedding child rights in public services, with a focus on transparency and accountability. But for the mother and the other parents she says are facing similar battles, that commitment has not translated into action. As the High Court case proceeds, the wider questions about how Tower Hamlets reconciles its gleaming Ofsted rating with the lived experience of families fighting for the most basic legal entitlements remain unanswered.
