(UK) Staffs: $75M SPED deficit; 15% increase in special needs plans in last 14 months

June 29, 2025, StokeonTrent Live: Reform UK want action as 8,604 Staffordshire children on special education plans

Central England

Council leaders say special education funding reform is 'desperately' needed - with Staffordshire's deficit rising to £55 million [$75M]. Staffordshire County Council, along with authorities across England, is seeing an increasing overspend on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Councillor Janet Higgins, the new cabinet member for education and SEND, says government funding has failed to keep up with demand, as thousands of families across the county seek extra support for their children There are currently more than 8,600 children in Staffordshire with education, health and care plans (EHCPs), following a 15 per cent increase over the last 14 months, with many requiring costly placements at specialist schools.

Cllr Higgins, who says SEND is a key priority for the council's new Reform UK administration, has written to the county's MPs asking for their support in lobbying the government on the issue.

She said: "Fundamentally the national SEND system is failing and in desperate need of reform. The current position is not sustainable, and the level of government funding is not nearly enough to meet the increasing need for support or the increasingly complex needs of the children we support.

"We will do as much as possible with the resources we have; however, our efforts are unlikely to be enough if the government do not step up and deliver the critical funding and policy reforms which are needed." . . .

The council overspent the high needs block of its dedicated schools grant (DSG) by around £28 million last year. This increased the DSG reserve deficit to £55 million.

According to the authority's medium term financial strategy, targeted intervention to mitigate the shortfall 'does not appear to have had any significant impact on what is a worsening position'.

At the moment, the government is allowing councils to keep their SEND deficits separate to their overall revenue budget through a so-called 'statutory override'. With this override set to expire next year, local government leaders have warned that half of councils responsible for SEND will go bankrupt.

The rocketing deficits have been largely driven by an increase in the number of children with EHCPs, following a change in eligibility criteria a decade ago. In March this year there were 8,604 children and young people in Staffordshire with EHCPs, up from just 3,631 in 2016.

Last year's Budget included an extra £1 billion [$1.4B] for SEND and alternative provision, and the override issue was expected to be addressed December's local government finance settlement. But the settlement only said that the government intended 'to set out plans for reforming the SEND system' in 2025.

The government says this will include details on how councils will be supported to deal with their deficits, which will inform any decision on the future of the override.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "The evidence is clear that the SEND system has been on its knees for years – with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support.

"It will take time, but through our Plan for Change, this government is determined to spread opportunity, restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for.

"We are already making progress by investing £1 billion into SEND and £740 million [$1B] to encourage councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools, paving the way for significant, long-term reform."