Responding to the Chancellor's Autumn Budget, ADCS President, Andy Smith, said:
"The new government’s first budget has delivered some good news for children and young people. We know that the current SEND system is not fit for purpose, systematically failing to deliver the outcomes we want for our children and young people, while also proving financially unviable for councils. The £1 billion uplift in funding announced today is welcome news and will go some way to stabilising the system, but this must be accompanied by longer term reforms focussing on improving inclusion in mainstream schools, if we are to see real and meaningful improvement in children’s lives and outcomes. The £6.7 billon increase in capital investment in schools is much needed and will help ensure our children are learning in inclusive, appropriate, safe and secure environments.
"We have long warned that the perilous state of local government finances presents a significant threat to the way many of our vital services are managed and delivered. And while we welcome the £1.3 billion uplift in local government funding, and the one-year extension to family hubs funding, these are short-term measures, not long-term solutions. In order to ensure the stability of many vital and valued services, long-term, sustainable funding for local government and children’s services is the only solution. We now urge the government to use the spring budget to set out sufficient multi-year settlements for local authorities so they can effectively plan for the future."
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