The figures are based on a survey of 40 local authorities, which reveal that the collective black hole in their finances for SEND is set to increase from £134m in 2018/19 to a projected deficit of £1.3bn in 2022/23.
The size of this deficit will be “unmanageable and extremely difficult to pay off without taking large sums of money earmarked for other council services”, warns the County Councils Network (CCN) and Society of County Treasurers, the associations that have compiled the figures.
Councils are able to carry over their school budget deficits until April 2023. But while this provides councils “with some breathing space” the concession is “little more than a sticking plaster”, according to CCN.
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