Rising SEND Costs Threaten Financial Stability of Councils: Report

Published on July 25, 2024

Local councils risk insolvency, driven by a sharp increase in demand for support for pupils with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), a report has found. By 2026, councils are expected to be spending £12 billion on SEND services—up from £4 billion a decade ago—but will still be facing a £5 billion “funding black hole” due to demand, according to a report by Isos Partnership published on Thursday. Reforms in 2014 which aimed to improve support for children introduced Education, Health, and Care Plans (ECHPs), which outline the needs and support for children with SEND and are paid for by state-funded local authorities. The report, commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the County Councils Network, found that the number of children in receipt of ECHPs had more than doubled, increasing from 240,183 in 2015 to 575,973 in 2023/2024....

Continue reading on website
Other news

Coolest Temperatures in a Month Expected to Bring Respite in BC Wildfire Fight

July 25, 2024
Firefighters in British Columbia are expecting the warmer-than-usual weather to ease off on July 25, fueling hope for more respite in their battle against more than 400 blazes.The BC Wildfire Service says cooler temperatures and rain in the north slid into the central Interior on July 24, moving the mercury closer to seasonal norms for the first time in a month.The wildfire service says the favour

BC Judge Finds Delays in Child Sex Assault Case Went Beyond Trial ‘Ceiling’

July 25, 2024
A British Columbia judge says trial delays for a man accused of sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl went beyond a “ceiling” set by the Supreme Court of Canada as he stayed the case more than two years after charges were laid.Provincial court Judge Mayland McKimm says in a decision released in May that the man was accused of sexually assaulting the child at his family home when she and her moth