Special needs funding cut due rethink
HALTON Council’s controversial decision to scrap funding for pupils with Special Educational Needs looks set to be reviewed after a meeting of the executive board on Thursday, April 19.
The decision to scrap funding drew widespread criticism after the plans were revealed in early April.
Funding for enhanced provision, which includes teaching assistants, help with handwriting, spelling and numeracy, educational psychologist consultations and emotional support, was due to be cut because of ‘severe budgetary restraints’ and increased demand.
At a meeting of the executive board last Thursday, members decided that applications for enhanced provision will continue to be considered for the summer term 2018, and the decision will be reviewed in June.
The council’s move comes after pressure from residents, including Halton MP Derek Twigg, council leader Rob Polhill and Cllr Tom McInerney.
Mr Twigg, Cllr Polhill and Cllr McInerney asked for the plan be amended to allow the applications for enhanced provision to be considered for the summer term, and a review to be undertaken to consider the future funding of enhanced provision.
An executive committee report said: “Work is currently being undertaken to identify options ● Mike Amesbury MP for consideration to reduce the current funding gap of £220,000.
“Continuing to offer enhanced provision through the summer term will increase further the funding gap.
“Following a review a paper will be presented to executive board in June setting out the estimated shortfall and future funding options.”
In recent years there has been an increase in demand for support for pupils with special educational needs.
The report says that a Times Educational Supplement article published in December 2017 reported that the projected funding gap in high needs nationally is more than three times what is was in 2014-15.
The increase in funding received by local authorities from government has not kept pace with this rise in demand, according to the executive board report. ●
On the subject of the lack of funding, Mr Twigg said: “I will be raising the fact with the Tory Government that they are not providing enough funding for Halton to meet the rising demand for support for children with special educational needs.
“This Government urgently needs to increase the funding to local authorities like Halton to ensure that they can continue to provide support to our most vulnerable children.”
Mike Amesbury, Labour MP for Weaver Vale, also spoke out against the Government’s lack of funding to local government.
He said: “Conservative cuts at Government level are having an utterly devastating impact on our councils and the services they are able to adequately provide, the starkest example of which is the fact Tory-led Northamptonshire Council recently went bust.
“But while I sympathise with the council’s dire funding position, my first duty will always be to my constituents and I will be monitoring developments on this issue extremely closely.”