90 percent of council’s SEND debt to be cleared
12/02/2026
The number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans has skyrocketed since 2017
A huge amount of the debt built up by Oxfordshire County Council linked to its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) work is set to be cleared by the government.
On Tuesday a £5 billion rescue package was announced, with the government paying off 90 percent of the deficits built up by English councils.
In Oxfordshire debts have been rising as the number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans skyrocketed, up by 261 percent since 2017. The County Council has previously warned that its SEND deficit could exceed £100 million by the end of this financial year.
Banbury’s MP, Sean Woodcock, recently hosted a SEND roundtable with local parents and educators. The event attracted a large turnout with parents speaking of the need for earlier intervention, faster diagnoses, better-resourced schools, and greater accountability from education and health providers.
Mr Woodcock welcomed Tuesday’s announcement. He said: “When I left university, my first job was in special education. SEND is one of the big issues I get in my inbox, and I regularly speak to parents who have found difficulties with SEND provision. For too long, the system for supporting our most vulnerable children has been under-resourced and over-stretched.
“This £5 billion injection is therefore welcome news, ensuring that the Council can continue to provide for vulnerable children in our area.”
The news was broadly welcomed by Oxfordshire County Council. Councillor Sean Gaul, cabinet member for children, education and young people’s services, told the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Oxfordshire County Council has been responsibly building a risk reserve to help manage our SEND overspends; however, we are not out of the woods yet, as there is no information about the funding arrangements for the next couple of years.
“I hope this will be provided in their forthcoming Schools White Paper alongside much needed reforms.”
The upcoming Schools White Paper will outline a full overhaul of the SEND system.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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