Leader demanding national reform following council's £27m SEND overspend

Government's challenged to 'stand up and deliver' on special needs funding

- Phil Corrigan

A GOVERNMENT 'sticking plaster' will allow Staffordshire County Council to continue running a multi-million pound budget deficit for a further two years.

The county council overspent its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) budget by £27 million last year, due to demand far outstripping the available funding.

Local authorities are allowed to keep SEND deficits separate from their main budgets through a so-called statutory override - which was due to expire next March, raising concerns that councils would be plunged into bankruptcy.

But the Government now says the override will continue until the end of 2027/28, while the SEND funding system is reformed