Local authorities in England are facing a shortfall of almost £1bn in special needs budgets this year, new research has found.
The BBC contacted 153 councils in England to request their financial forecasts for this year.
The 113 councils that responded forecast a collective shortfall of £926m in special needs budgets.
According to the County Council Network (CCN), since 2019 the accumulated deficit in England for Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) has reached £3.2bn.
Local authorities are looking after record numbers of children and young people with SEND, the Local Government Association (LGA) recently revealed.
Check out: What do safety valve agreements mean for children with SEND? And NextGov: What the next government should do for children’s services
