An LGA report finds just 12% of councils are confident of balancing their budgets in this area over the next five years, with 40% seeing rises over the last five years in the number of under-16s with SEND needing transport.
Key factors behind the soaring costs include rising numbers of children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), more children having to be placed further from home and outside their local area, and changes in complexity of need requiring individualised transport arrangements, said the LGA.
The LGA is calling on the government to boost mainstream inclusion as part of a comprehensive programme of SEND reforms.
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