Government delay to SEND reforms leaves councils ‘on the brink’, warns BCP alliance
BCP Council’s SEND budget deficit is expected to reach £180million before the government announces its plans to address the issue
BCP Council Three Town Alliance has accused the government of abandoning families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), after ministers delayed key reforms that local authorities say are vital to prevent financial collapse.
The Department for Education had been due to publish a long-awaited schools white paper this autumn, setting out how funding and provision for SEND pupils would be reformed. But Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed that the plans have been pushed back until spring 2026 to allow for “a further period of co-creation” with families, teachers and experts.
In a letter announcing the delay, Phillipson said she wanted to ensure proposals were “tested with the people who matter most in this reform – the families – alongside teachers and other experts”.
However, the BCP Council Three Town Alliance said the postponement would worsen an already critical situation.
Councillor Richard Burton said: “It’s utterly outrageous to delay addressing the needs of families of SEND children and fixing this fundamental issue in council budgets.
“The six-month delay raises the question of what on earth they’ve been doing for the last year to tackle the SEND crisis.”
Burton warned that the “broken SEND system” was failing children and forcing councils “to the financial brink”.
BCP Council is forecasting a SEND deficit of £180.5m by March 2026, creating a £9.9m hole in next year’s budget.
Councillor Mike Cox said: “Each year BCP Council has to spend millions of taxpayers’ money on the debt alone.
“The government has refused our request to charge this pressure to the deficit itself and has now just kicked the can further down the road.”
He added that the delay would inevitably lead to deeper cuts to “non-statutory council services that local people value and want to see retained.”