Council warns of SEND costs 'mission impossible'

The county council said some specialist care placements were costing £30,000 a week

Leicestershire County Council has said it faces a "mission impossible" in paying for a surge in the cost of care for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The council has revealed it expects to overspend its overall budget by £8.1m this financial year, largely due to "unprecedented" demand for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for children.

Reform UK council leader Dan Harrison wrote to Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Friday to say SEND costs were projected to make up an "eye-watering" 20% of the authority's entire budget by 2028-29.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said the county council's funding had been increased by £34.5m this year.

The Treasury has also been contacted for comment.

The government said it will set out more detailed plans for reforms to special educational needs in the autumn.

Harrison said the council was funding 8,000 EHCPs - 1,600 more than a year ago and a rise of 25% in total.

"Uncertainty about national reform of special educational needs and disability (SEND) support is driving demand to unprecedented levels," he said.

"We welcome the government's recognition of the problem but there is an urgent need for clarity on the new system and additional funding to meet the growing demand for education support."

'Costs unheard of'

Harrison added: "Funding is not keeping pace with demand, making it a mission impossible and simply piling on increased financial pressure.

"At the heart of this are parents, carers and children who quite rightly expect councils to provide specialist support.

The right support changes lives, and we owe it to them to get the system right now."

Declan Keegan, the council's director of corporate resources, told a cabinet meeting on Friday that some high-end placements for children with SEND were costing more than £30,000 a week.

"While this is still relatively unusual, costs of this level would have been unheard of a few years ago," he added.

Mr Keegan said all the council's departments were operating within their budgets — except for children's social care.

He said the £8.1m overspend could be covered by contingency funding, but the council has warned that the pressure caused by SEND costs is unsustainable in the long-term.

A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "We're turning the tide on decades of underfunding in councils through our plan for change.

"To give people the public services they deserve, we've made over £69bn available this year for council finances, including a £34.5m increase for Leicestershire County Council, and will fix the broken system we inherited."