Reform councils to cut SEN spending

[LookingForRecommendation]

.. according to the Lib Dem’s. Can they even do this? My DC isn’t SEN but her class has 5 TAs mainly as 121s and I dread what would happen if their funding is removed. Our council isn’t Reform led but they’re pretty neck on neck in no overall control.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/apr/24/ed-miliband-energy-pricing-keir-starmer-nigel-farage-latest-live-uk-politics-news

Most council funding is provided by central government (council tax is just a proportion of it) and can only be spent on the things it is provided for. This also applies to SEN funding.

Councils are under funded for social care generally and often allocate extra spending for it (at the expense of funding other activities which do not have hypothecated revenues from government eg libraries, road sweeping, parks). The lack of appropriate social care funding is a major problem and causes misery for many people.

It’s a statutory service so no, they can’t.

I work for one of these councils although I'm cross I don't think they will be able to make these cuts as as others have said Education and Children's services are statutory and they have to provide them. Also all the working from home stuff..where I work most people are hybrid so they have shut (and sold) a load of offices...they would have to spend loads to get enough desks to bring everyone back...in addition there are squillions of Children's services and education jobs in neighbouring not reform Las where people will go if they trest workers badly and then they will have to pay expensive agency staff... There is a big Union presence...think Farage and co are in for a shock when the realise what they can't do.

And I wonder why they were campaigning to leave the ECHR 🤔 I can’t imagine…

They will approve a budget next year and they have some flexibility and how to prioritise things within certain parameters.

But most services are statutory and much of central government funding comes with a purpose. So the dedicated schools grant which include high needs block funding can't suddenly be spent on stop the boat patrol officer.

It wouldn't surprise me what they have up their sleeve. I'm sure for most people, as long as they stop the boats, they'll not be bothered, until they come for them.

^This

For those mentioning Councils having a lack of funds... my London council has 30 x staff earning more than 100K a year. Perhaps they could re-structure, cut the fat cat salaries and use their budgets more effectively.

I don’t actually think that’s shocking. 100k is what a small to medium business CEO gets. Surely you want something as important as a council to be run by capable people? And capable people command a good salary.

Our council in now under control of Reform. Absolutely disgusted with them and the idiots who believe voting for them will improve their lives ! I’ll be taking them to tribunal if they so much as lay a finger on SEN funding that will be detrimental to our DD. They are a bunch of cunts as are the people who voted for them !!

I think they will try to cut as much as they can from as many who aren’t their voters or donors as they can.

If they can handover SEN services to a private donor then they might be safe.

This election was thoroughly depressing, I'm glad to live in a county which returned less than 10% reform, and my local area is fully independent. A big issue is that the average turnout was around 30%, had more voted it may have been a very different story, but at the moment many feel let down by all parties, so didn't bother, I only voted as I knew 2 of the independent candidates and they have done a lot for our village.

I do hold labour responsible for this debacle, they have made such a mess in the past year that people are feeling a bit desperate, and that's when people look to the more extreme options.

There has already been cuts to SEN since Labour came in, my daughters mainstream school with a specialist ARP was thriving but in real terms has lost around 15% funding since the general election. And the impact of this has been felt across mainstream too with resources diverted from there to ARP.

But 30 of them?

It's not on their manifesto

I've got 3 sen kids actually and don't use facebook

I think for a London Borough that sounds about right. Each council has about 5000 employees if Google is anything to go by - I think 1 in 150 earning a senior management salary sounds ok.

A lot of councils don’t meet their statutory requirements anyway due to lack of money.

it’s common that parents need to take them to tribunal/review to get a needs assessment or EHCP,

I expect reform will continue that and underfund even more.

it’s one thing councils having a legal obligation it’s another making them actually do it. (And I do blame central government for not funding the system properly).

Not sure if it’s true, need the facts and figures. I think they tend to run with the lines anyone who can’t bring money in by working and will use more money than what they can provide in tax will be targeted…SEN / OAPs etc

Nice bit of ageism there. Why do you think only the elderly vote Reform? Maybe it meets your narrative to think that, but the reality is people of all ages have turned out to vote Reform in the recent local elections. And isn’t what’s being said about the SEN services equal to Labour removing cold weather payments from OAPs and doing a review on PIP/disability? All parties are looking at putting in place cuts which affect vulnerable people.

I suspect they can’t do much unless they run the country.

The same way I feel towards Labour voters…..

Thats why she said ‘most’ instead of ‘all’

I'm saying it because I know an awful lot of older people (personally and through work) who voted Reform. Several who have voted for the first time or for the first time in years, specifically to vote Reform.

I didn't mean it as a sweeping generalisation, my parents are in their 70s and detest the party and everything they stand for. But our area has a very high older age population and is known as being particularly right wing (we had a BNP seat years ago 😬) These two factors meant nobody was shocked when Reform took control this week.

There is the disability discrimination act so no they can’t just stop funding SEN

Some of those staff carry tremendous levels of responsibility and risk.

I actually quit a public sector job along those lines partly because the pay was in no way commensurate with the tremendous level of risk and complexity and the high profile nature of the job.
For a similar level of risk and profile in the private sector you would expect many multiples of the salary

Agree. So many services have been cut entirely or stripped to the bone.
Round here libraries and swimming pools are closing, roads aren't maintained, elderly care and schools generally are in a dire state

I don't know what the answer is but we have to accept that budgets aren't infinite