‘Absolutely necessary’ £9.1m SEND package sails through Suffolk County Council
An ‘absolutely necessary’ £9.1 million SEND package has been unanimously supported by councillors.
Cllr Andrew Reid, who is responsible for education and SEND, presented a bid for an extra £9.1 million investment into special needs services during this afternoon’s county council cabinet meeting.
His bid followed a £4.4 million investment, £3.4 million of which recurring in the coming years, which was deemed ‘insufficient’ by the council to meet the improvement and transformation required to meet the council’s targets.
Cllr Reid said: “Our current spend will not prove sufficient to deal with the demands of our widescale and hugely important improvement plans.
“Improving the way we deliver SEND services is an absolute priority and this investment will improve the lives of our children and young people with SEND.”
The new investment package, funded through the council’s reserves, will see £2.6 million extra for the rest of this financial year, £3 million in 2025/26, and £3.5 million in 2026/27 — extra money in the coming two years will be subject to ongoing review.
This comes as the council’s latest useable reserves position, shows a £14.7 million decrease during 2023/24, from £194.8 million to £180.1 million — at the same time, the Dedicated Schools Grant reserve, reduced by £26.4 million, from negative £27.7 million to negative £54.1 million.
But Cllr Reid argued the extra money was ‘absolutely necessary’ to meet the council’s targets.
He added: “I am acutely aware of the financial challenge we currently face —however, the job of the council is to weigh up the needs of residents, and in particular, children and young people, and the funds we have to spend.
“We are a financially responsible council, we are not frivolous with taxpayer’s money, we plan well and we account for every penny we spend.”
Cllr Richard Smith, who is responsible for the council’s finances, said the council had no choice but to fund the investment through its reserves.
He added: “Our council reserves are falling and we have to keep sight of those, but the work that’s being done affects young people in our county directly.
“We will make sure the money is available and, equally, that there are systems in place to make sure the money is invested and spent wisely and effectively.”
These targets include, for instance, the council’s commitment to issue 49.1 per cent of new Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) within the statutory 20 weeks by September 2025.
The proposals were unanimously supported by cabinet members, meaning £20 million in new money has now been allocated to SEND services over the next three years.
