Over a million children in England have an Education, Health and Care Plan. Councils are projected to hold £6 billion in SEND deficits by the end of this year. And a system designed to protect the most vulnerable children has become, for many families, an exhausting legal battle just to access basic support.

In this episode, Tom sits down with Caitlin Webb, chief reporter at the Local Government Chronicle, to examine the UK's SEND crisis and whether the government's long-awaited reforms can fix a system that has been breaking for over a decade.

They explore the legal weight of Education, Health and Care Plans and why so many families have come to rely on them not as a support tool but as a last resort. Caitlin unpacks the financial pressures bearing down on local authorities, the rise of private equity in specialist education, and the difficult question of whether proposed reforms will genuinely improve outcomes for children or simply remove the protections parents depend on most.

The episode closes with two voices that bring the statistics to life. Troy Njenje-Mbanga, who has lived experience of SEND, reflects on what it means to be neurodivergent in a system not designed for you. Eden Byrne speaks about her experience of caring for her brother with SEND, and what society still gets wrong about disability.

Further reading from Caitlin Webb at the Local Government Chronicle:

SEND reforms — key issues for the Schools White Paper: https://www.lgcplus.com/services/children/send-reforms-key-issues-for-schools-white-paper-19-02-2026/

Will SEND finally be sent in the right direction?: https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/lgc-briefing/will-send-finally-been-sent-in-the-right-direction-23-02-2026/

No guarantee SEND reforms will reduce EHCPs: https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/empowering-communities/no-guarantee-send-reforms-will-reduce-ehcps-15-04-2026/

Listen to related episodes:

The Forgotten Generation with Troy Njenje-Mbanga: https://theforgottengenerationpodcast.podbean.com/

Sports For All with Eden Byrne: https://sportsforallpodcast.podbean.com/

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For more information about the show, please find Be the Change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change. Media Network.

A war in the Middle East. A closed shipping lane. And a chain of consequences that stretches from Irish petrol stations to South Korean chip makers, and from British supermarket shelves to the price of your next laptop.

In this episode, Tom, Sidd and Lily trace the true cost of the war with Iran — for the Iranian people, for the world economy, and your everday life.

The episode starts with mass protests brutally suppressed by the Iranian regime, Trump's promise that "help is on its way," the coordinated US-Israeli strikes on 28 February, the assassination of Supreme Leader Khamenei, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — the single most important shipping lane in the world. They examine why, despite weeks of bombardment and repeated claims of victory, the regime remains intact and the Strait remains shut.

From there the team maps the ripple effects: fuel protests that have brought Ireland to the edge of political crisis, a fertiliser shortage threatening the spring planting season across the northern hemisphere, a semiconductor supply crunch that could outlast the war itself, and a UK government quietly planning for food shortages by summer.

Running beneath all of it, China, quietly filling every vacuum the war creates.

Listen to related episodes:

The origins of the Iranian war: https://thepoliticaldispatch.podbean.com/e/irans-reckoning-counter-revolution/

The unravelling of the world order: https://thepoliticaldispatch.podbean.com/e/if-we-are-not-at-the-table/

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To get connected with Tom, Lily or Sidd, please find them on Instagram: @sparetom, @lilymott3, and @siddkurapati.

For more information about the show, please find Be the Change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change. Media Network.

In this episode of The Political Dispatch, Tom, Sidd and Lily turn their attention to Wales, ahead of what many are calling the most consequential Senedd election since devolution began in 1999.

For listeners joining from outside the UK, the team starts from the beginning — where Wales is, what shapes it, and why a country of three million people with a language older than most nations on earth has only had its own parliament since the turn of the millennium. It's a story of industrial extraction, cultural resilience, and a referendum won by the slimmest of margins.

From there, the team walk through the sweeping changes coming on 7 May: a bigger parliament, a brand new voting system, and sixteen new constituencies, before mapping out a political landscape that would have been unimaginable even five years ago.

Sidd draws a striking comparison between Welsh Labour's decline and the fall of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party after fifty years of unbroken rule, asking whether dominant parties ever truly die. The team profiles all six main parties and looks beyond the election itself to the bigger questions Wales is asking about its democratic future.

If you're in Wales and not yet registered to vote, you can do so here: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Voter registration closes at 23:59 on 20th April 2026.

Find out more about the parties featured in this episode:

Plaid Cymru: https://www.partyof.wales/

Reform Wales: https://www.reformparty.uk/view-pdf/welsh-manifesto

Welsh Labour: https://www.welshlabour.wales/manifesto-2026/

Welsh Greens: https://wales.greenparty.org.uk/

Welsh Liberal Democrats: https://www.libdems.wales/

Welsh Conservatives: https://www.conservatives.wales/

Key dates for the 2026 Senedd election: https://research.senedd.wales/research-articles/what-are-the-key-dates-for-the-2026-senedd-election/

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To get connected with Tom, Lily or Sidd, please find them on Instagram: @sparetom, @lilymott3, and @siddkurapati.

For more information about the show, please find Be the Change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change. Media Network.

In this episode of The Political Dispatch, Tom, Sidd and Lily dive into what may be the most significant moment in Iranian politics since 1979, the nationwide protests that erupted in late December 2025 and the brutal crackdown that followed.

From the closure of Tehran's Grand Bazaar to coordinated demonstrations across all 31 provinces, the team traces how economic grievances over a collapsing currency and runaway inflation rapidly transformed into open calls for regime change. They explore the striking evolution of protest slogans, from demands for economic relief to chants of "Pahlavi will return", and what that shift reveals about the shrinking space for reform within the Islamic Republic.

Tom and Sidd place these events in historical context, drawing comparisons to the 1979 revolution, the 2009 Green Movement, and the 2022 Woman Life Freedom protests, while examining the key differences that make this moment distinct. They also unpack the complex geopolitical dynamics at play, Trump's threats, Israel's June 2025 strikes, China's economic lifeline, and Russia's quiet mediation, before laying out three possible scenarios for what comes next.

As always, the team urges listeners to stay informed but stay sceptical in an information environment shaped by regime propaganda, opposition messaging, and competing geopolitical agendas.

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To get connected with Tom, Lily or Sidd, please find them on Instagram: @sparetom, @lilymott3, and @siddkurapati.

For more information about the show, please find Be the Change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change. Media Network.

In this episode of The Political Dispatch, Tom, Lily, and Sidd begin with two recent events from the world’s biggest stages and trace them to a much older story about music and politics.

From Billie Eilish’s speech at the Grammys to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, the team explores how musicians are using their cultural influence to make political statements about identity, injustice, and power. Placing these moments in historical context, they explore a longer tradition of musicians shaping politics: from Billie Holiday and Nina Simone to anti-apartheid anthems and protest music under authoritarian regimes.

Along the way, the team considers what role music plays in politics, why musicians provoke such strong reactions, and how it all fits into today's political landscape.

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To get connected with Tom, Lily or Sidd, please find them on Instagram: @sparetom, @lilymott3, and @siddkurapati.

For more information about the show, please find Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network.

In this episode of The Political Dispatch, Tom and Sidd explore a pivotal moment in global politics: the unraveling of the post-Cold War international order.

Drawing on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s powerful speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he invoked Czech dissident Václav Havel’s essay “The Power of the Powerless”, they examine what happens when nations can no longer sustain the lie they’ve been living within.

This episode marks the beginning of what Tom and Sidd anticipate will be many discussions in 2026 about the changing world order.

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To get connected with Tom, Lily or Sidd, please find them on Instagram: @sparetom, @lilymott3, and @siddkurapati.

For more information about the show, please find Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network.

In this episode of The Political Dispatch, Tom, Sidd, and Lily come together to reflect on the moments that defined 2025.

The team looks back on a year marked by upheaval and uncertainty and discuss:

• The ongoing civil war in Sudan and its humanitarian toll
• The UK Supreme Court’s ruling on sex and its political implications
• The death of actor and activist Robert Redford
• Growing concerns over corruption and declining public trust in India’s political system
• The continued epidemic of gun violence in the United States

Alongside these reflections, the hosts also take time to revisit the episodes that meant the most to them this year:

• “The Life and Legacy of Jimmy Carter": https://thepoliticaldispatch.podbean.com/e/the-life-and-legacy-of-jimmy-carter/
• “The Politics of Star Wars”: https://thepoliticaldispatch.podbean.com/e/the-politics-of-star-wars/
• “Lessons in Democracy” featuring Chad Mott: https://thepoliticaldispatch.podbean.com/e/lessons-in-democracy/

Join the team for a wide-ranging look back at 2025: the stories that mattered, the questions that remain, and the conversations shared on The Political Dispatch.

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To get connected with Tom, Lily or Sidd, please find them on Instagram: @sparetom, @lilymott3, and @siddkurapati.

For more information about the show, please find Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network.

In this episode of The Political Dispatch, Tom, Lily, and Sidd turn to two regions whose histories of division continue to shape global politics today: Ireland and the Indian subcontinent.

From the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan to the Northern Ireland peace process that culminated in the Good Friday Agreement, the team explores how borders, identity, and political negotiation can fuel conflict or lay the groundwork for reconciliation. Drawing lessons from both regions, the episode considers what these stories reveal about the challenges and possibilities of building lasting peace after deep national division.

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To get connected with Tom, Lily or Sidd, please find them on Instagram: @sparetom, @lilymott3, and @siddkurapati.

For more information about the show, please find Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network.