Local authorities in England are issuing dire warnings regarding a projected £10bn accumulation of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) debts over the next eighteen months, describing the situation as potentially catastrophic.
The forecast is driven by a sharp increase in applications for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which poses significant risks to public finances and threatens to degrade the quality of support available to students. Despite the government recently clearing more than £5bn in historical council SEND debts, authorities anticipate that these liabilities will re-accumulate to that level by April. Furthermore, projections indicate the total debt could double to £10bn by 2028 if current demand trends continue.
Clearing old debt only to see it double again feels like pushing water uphill. Where is the long-term strategy? Funding needs to match reality, not press releases.
This is terrifying. My son’s EHCP took two years just to get an initial assessment. How can councils possibly cope?