SEND, potholes and safety on council's agenda

The Reform-UK council leader, George Finch, announced the party's priorities during a press conference on Friday

Local authorities cannot cope with a rising demand for services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the leader of Warwickshire County Council has said.

George Finch, leader of the Reform UK-run council, made the comments at a press conference where he announced his party's intentions after they became the largest group on the local authority following elections in May.

A plan to halve the costs of keeping children in care was also announced alongside aims for public safety and potholes. The council hoped to save £20m in its first year, he said.

The government has said it will be bringing forward proposals to reform SEND provision in the autumn.

Finch said public safety was a "top priority" for the Reform-UK led council

The county council has been at the centre of media attention after Finch became interim leader when his predecessor Rob Howard stepped down, citing health reasons.

He was formally appointed as leader in July and, at 19, became the youngest council leader in the UK.

Previously, the council had been run by the Conservatives.

At the press conference Finch said SEND funding was "one of his biggest issues" and called for all groups to "work with us to support these children".

He added Reform UK being a minority administration was a benefit as it allowed the party to communicate with other parties to find the best solution to problems.

"We are committed to reducing the time it takes to complete Education, Health and Care plans, but we are facing substantial rise in demands, and we have to be transparent," he said.

Using more minibuses rather than taxis and looking at the distances some families live from the schools their children go to could help, he said.

His party would continue to lobby government and urged the prime minister, Keir Starmer, to "step up and hear our cries".

In-house solutions, such as the county council owning children's homes, would help make savings in social care, deputy leader Stephen Shaw said.

Social care spending made up more than half of the council's budget, he added.

Over time, the cost of each child in care would reduce from £6,000 to £3,000, although this would not happen overnight, he said.

The programme, called Value for All, would keep evolving to make savings and create revenue for the council to provide "higher quality services at a more efficient price," he said.

The deputy leader, Stephen Shaw announced the council's plans for a "Value for Money" programme that includes savings for social care

Key challenges, such as assaults, burglaries, anti-social behaviour and vandalism would also be addressed, the party said.

Improved street lighting and other initiatives, particularly in Nuneaton and Bedworth, would be put in place and they also promised more transparency for residents with each of the 57 Warwickshire councillors being given £3,000 to be spent on crime prevention in their area and a further £250 for regular surgeries.

When pushed on how the authority would secure funding and support for the party's intentions, Finch said funding could be found through "alternative routes", such as "cutting or scaling back significantly net-zero requirements, EDI [Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion] and union reps", if need be, he said. These measure are in line with what Reform announced in May.

The condition of the county's roads were described as a "huge problem" and led Finch to announce proposals which focussed on "prevention rather than cure".

One option included bringing pothole repairs "in-house", which the leader hoped would "generate significant revenue savings each year."