(UK) Northants: Councils face $123M deficit; "unprecedented costs...continued increase" in SPED

Oct 18, 2025, BBC News: Education budget for county set for £92m deficit

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d03rg42ewo.amp

The predicted overspend on schools in Northamptonshire is expected to reach more than £92m [$123M] by March 2026.

Both West and North Northamptonshire Councils, run by Reform UK, said the unprecedented costs were due to the continued increase in demand and rising costs of provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

West Northamptonshire's deficit from last year currently stands at £21.4m [$29M] and by the next school year it is expected to be £31.1[$42M] - a total of about £52.5m [$79M].

North Northamptonshire already has a £21.4m [$29M] overspend, which is set to increase by £18.7m [$25M] - a total of more than £40m [$54M]. . . .

At a school forum meeting on Tuesday, Ben Pearson, West Northamptonshire's assistant director of education, said: "We are right in the middle of an increase in demand, an increase in complexity and cost. . . .

"A child just over the border in Buckinghamshire receives 60% more funding than a child in West Northants with an EHCP."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Despite our tough fiscal inheritance, this government has protected key education priorities through our Plan for Change.

"We are putting a further £3.7bn [$5B] into schools' budgets, including increasing pupil premium to over £3bn [$4B] for 2025-26 to provide additional support for those children that need it most."