Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees has divulged Ofsted’s view of the city’s SEND offer, despite a decision by the watchdog to withhold its findings until after the General Election.
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) made a joint inspection of the local authority’s services for children with special needs and disabilities (SEND) in October.
The findings were expected last month but Ofsted has delayed their release until after polling day (December 12).
Nevertheless, in a mayoral blog yesterday (December 5), Mr Rees wrote: “On the challenge of SEND, the recent inspection said...Bristol was not where it should be.”
The news comes as no surprise given the well publicised failings of Bristol City Council’s SEND offer.
But the mayor’s opponents have seized on the potentially embarrassing slip of politically sensitive information during the pre-election period.
Liberal Democrat councillor Tim Kent took to Twitter to say: “It seems the Mayor of Bristol has leaked a very selective element of the recent Ofsted inspection blocked by purdah.”
Others made less savoury remarks.
The mayor did not wish to comment.
Ofsted did not comment on the slip either, simply saying it "will not" publish SEND inspection findings during purdah.
What is purdah?
Purdah is the pre-election period during which local authorities are advised to be careful about what they say and do lest it be seen as an attempt to sway voters.
Pre-election guidance is issued by the Local Government Association (LGA) and interpreted and enforced by individual local authorities themselves.
Possible breaches are not a matter for the LGA, the Electoral Commission or the Cabinet office to decide or comment on.
In any case, purdah is not legally enforceable, according to a UK expert in election law.
'Not clever but not illegal'
Retired professor Bob Watt, who led a group that complained that the Leave campaign misled EU referendum voters in 2016, said purdah is simply "a convention, not a principle of law”.
Mr Rees's mention of the initial SEND inspection findings was "not clever, but not illegal", he said.
"Given that the clear Local Government Association advice to local councillors and elected officials is to take care to respect the purdah period for the general election, my advice if I was asked, to Marvin Rees would be 'please engage your brain before putting your mouth/typing fingers into action'."
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the council received an initial report on the conclusion of the inspection but is still awaiting the final report.
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