Leicestershire County Council is pressing the Government for a better deal for local government, as special educational needs and disability support (SEND) demand rockets.
Council leader, Dan Harrison, has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves highlighting stark new figures showing a 25 per cent rise in education, health and care plans for children and young people, significantly pushing up spend.
Leicestershire County Council now has over 8,000 education, health and care plans in place which is over 1,600 more than 2024.
This is set to increase this year’s SEND budget deficit to £45m - £30m more than expected – clearly highlighting that the Government grant doesn’t cover the cost of demand.
Today (Friday), the council’s cabinet considered a financial update report which also covered plans to overhaul local government funding.
“We’re calling on the Government for a better deal for Leicestershire residents.
“And we’re asking for support from our MPs to try to ensure that national funding reform doesn’t see rural areas lose money to urban areas. Continuing to make our case is crucial.”
Person:Dan Harrison, leader of Leicestershire County Council
A rise in vulnerable children needing residential care is driving an overall budget increase of £8.1m, but this is forecast to be offset by a contingency fund.
“We’re committed to getting maximum value for our Council Tax payers. But we need Government to step up and address the spiralling SEND budget nationally and help councils cover costs in the interim.
“Just four months in, we’re seeing real changes. We’ve re-directed £2m into tackling flooding and are releasing nearly £1m in children and families services by holding vacancies.
“Sensible, permanent changes to street light brightness are on track to save over half-a-million-pounds a year and the new homecare procurement process has the potential to save around £1m per year.
“Efficiency is our focus and we’re working hard to pinpoint more opportunities to drive down costs.”
Person:Councillor Dan Harrison