Council reviewing 'clawed back' budget plan

Council leader Jeff Brooks has urged head teachers to talk to him directly rather than "playing it out in the press"

A council criticised after it agreed to remove about £2.85m from eight schools’ budgets has said it is reviewing the measure.

West Berkshire Council’s leader Jeff Brooks said he wanted to talk to affected head teachers about the move.

The authority initially wanted to claw back the sum to help address a £9.5m deficit in its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) budget.

But some schools previously said they planned to take legal action.

The Local Government Association said councils across the country face a £5bn funding black hole to meet SEND demand by 2026.

West Berkshire Council's move was previously agreed at the district’s Schools Forum, where 68% of head teachers backed the move.

West Berkshire Council has been threatened with legal action by schools

Mr Brooks said the authority felt some sums in schools’ reserves were “excessive” and that its plan could be fairer for all.

“I’m inviting all of the heads – we’re doing a review at the moment – to come and talk to me. Don’t play it out in the press, come and meet me. Come and describe why there’s money we should not claw back,” he told BBC Radio Berkshire.

“The heads decided to agree that the money should be pulled back. One school has £3.8m of reserves. They only spend £7.5m in a year. That looked excessive to us.”

Mr Brooks said a deficit in its SEND budget is expected to increase to £16.5m next year without action.

While he said it cannot wholly reduce that on its own, it has "got to make an effort".

“Ultimately we will need the government to step in. But the government will say to us: what have you done about sorting it out? And we’re trying to do that,” he added.