SEND funding is 'number one' ask of government

Improved funding for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) is a council leader's "number one ask" of government.

Calderdale Council's Labour leader Jane Scullion said inflation and demand for SEND support is putting huge financial pressure on their budget and has warned it will mean difficult choices.

The authority said it has a funding gap of £15.7m this year and over the next three years it needs to find savings £39.3m.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was committed to "longer term" financial settlements for councils so they could "plan better for the future and know what resource is going to be available".

Ms Scullion said demand for SEND support continued to grow.

"It has increased and the resources we've got from government in terms of main stream school assistance, special schools and home to school transport just has not kept pace."

She said: "Why wouldn't you want to do the best for children with special educational needs, we want to see those children thrive."

Ms Scullion acknowledged people would be tired of hearing this but inflation also remained a major issue and impacted on energy costs and pay.

She said rising homelessness was also a pressure point for the council's finances and people struggling with rising costs had turned to the authority for help.

Calderdale Council isn't alone in warning of budget pressures in West Yorkshire.

Leeds City Council needs to find £273.7m in further savings over the next five financial years.

Council leader James Lewis has pointed to adult social care and increases in the number of children looked after due to more children with more significant needs requiring care.

Wakefield Council has also warned of "tough decisions" as they face an £88m budget gap over next five years.

The authority said more vulnerable residents than ever before needed support from its adult and children’s social care services- with over half the authorities budget already spent on adult social care and the number of children needing complex care and support at its highest ever level .

Bradford Council has also warned of challenging decisions and announced £40m of cuts at the start of this year and was only just pulled back from the brink of bankruptcy when it agreed an emergency recovery plan with the government.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves said as the MP for Leeds West and Pudsey she was aware of cuts to services.

"All those things that help build the fabric of our local communities. We want to be able to repair that damage but we're not going to be able to fix everything straight away."

Ms Reeves acknowledged the big rise in demand for adult social care and the increasing demand for support for children with special educational needs and said "'we need to make those services work better".

She said the commitment to "longer term settlements" for council's would make a difference in enabling them to plan better for the future.

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