Posted on the 2nd April 2026 in PHTM News

KENT TAXI FIRMS FLAGGED OVER £85,000 IN IRREGULAR SEND TRANSPORT CLAIMS

Taxi companies responsible for driving children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to school have been caught submitting nearly £85,000 in "irregular" invoices over just three months.

A Kent County Council fraud report revealed the discrepancies, which involve transport services for approximately 6,000 children.

The council’s public transport department discovered the issues by checking invoices against school attendance records and other data.

According to the report, the council is taking a firm stand against these errors, stating that "warnings are issued to suppliers and contracts are terminated where appropriate." 

Officials warned that companies caught repeatedly could be banned from future work, noting that "suppliers may be prevented from engaging in further contracts if subsequent instances are identified."

The "irregularities" often involve contract mismanagement, such as billing for trips that never happened or simple data entry mistakes.

To recover the money, the council confirmed that "any over-claims are netted off against future payments or via invoice if this is not possible." 

This latest discovery follows a separate investigation between April and August 2024, which found another £30,000 in questionable claims.

Beyond taxi contracts, the report highlighted wider fraud concerns, including 245 penalties for the misuse of blue badge disability parking permits.

Authorities noted that the use of stolen, forged, or deceased people’s badges remains a persistent problem.

In response, Kent County Council says it has "beefed up" its fraud prevention by using better technology and increasing staff training to spot potential losses.


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