North Somerset Council has warned that it might be forced to declare effective bankruptcy unless it receives more financial support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Cllr Catherine Gibbons, lead member for children’s services, last week wrote to the secretary of state for education, Bridget Phillipson MP, warning that ‘escalating costs’ related to the delivery of SEND services were placing an ‘unsustainable burden on our budgets’.
She added that the crisis in SEND funding was exacerbated by what she described as the ‘failure’ of the Safety Valve Programme to deliver saving.
The safety valve programme is a series of agreements between the Department for Education (DfE) and local authorities that state that the DfE will help councils that have over-spent their high needs budgets.
‘Local authorities require additional support to manage the deficits that have accrued due to underfunding. This could include financial assistance, debt relief, or other forms of support to help us balance our budgets without cutting essential services,’ wrote Cllr Gibbons.
‘Without this North Somerset Council, like many others will be required to issue a s114 notice.’
Check out: What do safety valve agreements mean for children with SEND?
