"Councils have called on ministers to write off special educational needs and disability (Send) deficits accumulated by local authorities over the past few years. These are projected to reach 14bn in two years' time. The government is expected to publish a long-awaited education white paper in the coming weeks setting out its proposals to overhaul the Send system, which is regarded as broken by parents and schools and financially unsustainable by councils."
"The Send reforms are regarded as politically fraught, with ministers anxious to slow the growth in spending while avoiding a backbench rebellion and a damaging clash with parents and charities over concerns that existing children's rights will be diluted. The Local Government Association (LGA) said 95% of top-tier councils were operating Send deficits, with four-fifths saying they were having to cut council services or take out loans to meet the day to day cost of financing Send overspends."
Rising special educational needs and disability (SEND) costs threaten to bankrupt eight in ten English local authorities unless the government enacts major reforms and writes off accumulated SEND deficits. Deficits are projected to reach £14bn within two years. Ninety-five percent of top-tier councils operate SEND deficits; four-fifths report cutting services or taking loans to finance overspends. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council has an accumulated SEND deficit of £184m, expects it to rise to £380m by March 2028, has been technically insolvent since April 2025, and plans to borrow £95m over the next 12 months. Ministers are preparing an education white paper amid political sensitivity over children's rights and spending controls.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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