Wokingham Borough Council's SEND budget gets £6.3m bailout

A council has been given a £6.3m bailout for its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services.

Wokingham Borough Council applied for the government cash amid a predicted overspend caused by increased demand.

The payment has been revealed in council papers, published ahead of an audit committee meeting on Wednesday.

A report said the money would be spent on SEND facilities in mainstream schools so children would not have to travel such long distances.

The audit report also said the Local Government Ombudsman upheld four complaints against the council relating to children with special educational needs and disabilities.

One involved a child whose parents had to arrange and pay for their own needs assessment after their child was left with out a school place, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The report said: "The council faces an increase in demand and complexity of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

"This is creating pressure on the entire SEND system and resulting in an overspend in the budget."

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