Suffolk County Council is to look at ways of increasing the number of places for children with special education needs at a meeting in January.

The council’s cabinet heard that 300-400 extra places were needed for children with special needs in the county by 2020, equating to three to four new schools.

An all-party Policy Development Panel (PDP) has been set up to look at the subject and will report back to the cabinet’s meeting in January.

Councillor Gordon Jones, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for education and skills, said: “I welcome the decision made today.

“It follows a consultation where we have listened to the views of our service users, partners and providers on the best way to grow our specialist education.”

Opposition Labour spokesman Jack Abbott said it was vital that the council took quick effective action to deal with the shortfall in numbers for SEN services.