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LGA responds to Public Accounts Committee report on SEND reforms
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The Local Government Association (LGA) has welcomed the Government’s commitment to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, while urging ministers to address ongoing concerns about council finances and the cost of home-to-school transport.
The comments follow a report by the Public Accounts Committee which warned that aspects of the Government’s proposed SEND reforms remain unclear, particularly in relation to transport provision and the scale of financial pressures facing local authorities.
Responding to the report, Amanda Hopgood, Chair of the LGA’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, said it was positive that the Government has outlined plans for reform, describing changes to the SEND system as essential to ensure children and young people receive the support they need to succeed in education.
Hopgood said that greater inclusion of pupils with SEND in mainstream schools could help reduce reliance on expensive transport arrangements and limit the long journeys some children currently face when travelling to specialist provision.
She also welcomed the Government’s recent decision to write off 90% of local authorities’ historic deficits relating to the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), describing the move as providing councils with some financial breathing space.
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However, the LGA warned that further action is required. Hopgood said ministers should commit to writing off all remaining DSG deficits before the statutory override arrangement currently in place expires in March 2028. The override allows councils to keep high needs deficits separate from their main budgets.
The association also called for additional funding to help councils meet rising demand for home-to-school transport for children and young people with SEND, which has become an increasing pressure on local authority budgets.
According to the LGA, councils are ready to work with government on implementing reforms and transforming local services to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families.
