Bradford Council awarded extra £12m in SEND funding
Bradford and 13 other Councils, all currently receiving Exceptional Financial Support from Government, will share £91m funding aimed at supporting some of their most high-cost services.
BRADFORD Council has been handed an extra £12.7 MILLION to help fund the district’s SEND services.
Bradford and 13 other Councils, all currently receiving Exceptional Financial Support from Government, will share £91m funding aimed at supporting some of their most high-cost services.
Announced by the UK Government on Tuesday, the funding in Bradford will go towards the District Special Educational Needs and Disabilities services, providing “a boost in transport places and educational psychology support” over the next two years.
The Council’s 2026/27 budget has allocated £14.58m for SEND transport services alone.
In 2024, cash-strapped Bradford Council was granted “exceptional financial support” by the Government to stave off bankruptcy.
It allows the Council to borrow money and use income from the sale of assets to fund day to day services.
But the money that is borrowed needs to be paid back with interest.
A number of other Councils across the country are under a similar arrangement.
Bradford Council has since slashed millions from its budget in an attempt to reduce the amount it needs to borrow, but is not expected to come out of EFS until 2028.
In this current financial year Bradford is expected to require £78m exceptional financial support.
Announcing the funding, Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, Jim McMahon OBE said: “Councils have been under enormous strain from a broken funding system and spiralling demand for services like care and temporary accommodation.
“That’s why we took action from day one to fix the foundations by addressing the causes of those issues, from reforming the outdated local government funding system to tackling homelessness, challenges with children’s services and in the SEND system.
“This targeted support for councils facing the toughest pressures is the next step forward, helping end reliance on emergency funding and providing a blueprint for reform across local government.”
Referring to the news of the new funding, Councillor Imran Khan, leader of the Labour group in Bradford, said: “The Labour government promised to provide fairer funding for councils, and that’s exactly what it’s delivering.
“This is in stark contrast to the days of Tory cuts when Rishi Sunak was heard in a leaked recording boasting about how he’d taken funds away from less privileged parts of the country to give to places like Tunbridge Wells. This Labour government has rightly brought that unfairness to an end.
“There are still major pressures in services like SEND and it would be welcome to see a reduction in the EFS required next year, but it’s not an overnight fix after more than a decade of Tory government chaos and under-funding.
“Importantly we now have a government that is listening and acting to try and tackle these challenges and improve people’s daily lives.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted Bradford Council’s Reform led Executive for a comment on the funding.