Fears for children as councils face further SEND cuts
Local authorities are facing a shortfall of almost £1 billion in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) budgets this year, the BBC has found.
The BBC contacted 153 councils to request their financial forecasts for this year.
The 113 councils that responded forecast a collective shortfall of £926 million in special needs budgets.
According to the County Council Network, since 2019 the accumulated deficit in England for SEND has reached £3.2 billion.
The National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) has called for any new government to write off the accumulated deficits in council budgets.
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