Posted on Friday 20th June 2025
Moves by the Government to allow local councils to temporarily keep budgets for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) “in the red”, have been welcomed by the Leader of Staffordshire County Council today.
However, Ian Cooper said, while the announcement provides some breathing space, a long-term national funding solution was still urgently overdue.
Ian said:
“Fundamentally, the national SEND system is failing and is in desperate need of urgent reform. Here in Staffordshire, we are making the funding we do have stretch as far as possible, but the increasing demand means this is simply not sustainable.
“Today’s announcement is yet just another sticking plaster on a national funding crisis. The Government needs to step up and deliver the critical funding and long-term reform needed or councils across the country will simply run out of money.”
Since 2019, councils have been able to run the mounting high needs deficits alongside their main budgets, meaning they don’t need to take this into account when balancing the yearly books.
The ability to do this was due to end in March 2026 – but this has been extended to March 2028.
Janet Higgins, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and SEND, has also called for Staffordshire MPs to work with the council to press for a long-term solution.