It’s expected to be paid off by the Government
David Prince and Plymouth Live readers
06:00, 15 Feb 2026
Ballard House, West Hoe, home of Plymouth City Council(Image: William Telford)
Plymouth Herald readers have voiced their opinions following the news that Plymouth City Council’s £53 million SEND deficit is set to be cleared by the Government, as disclosed during a recent cabinet session.
The authority stated that challenges surrounding special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reflect nationwide patterns, with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) rising dramatically over the last ten years.
Throughout England, local authorities are projected to confront a multi-billion-pound SEND shortfall by 2026. In Plymouth, expenditure on high needs provision, home-to-school transport and placements has been escalating, prompting the council to request additional funding support.
The announcement has triggered a considerable response from readers. Some have cast doubt on the decision, with one reader, AJGreen saying: “Tough call. They will get the money, but the debt just gets transferred from local to national coffers. We still pay. And, will this ‘gift’ to local authorities see them relaxing too much? £53M seems a lot of money to be spent on a small group of children.”
Doct replies: “It does seem a lot, but isn’t that what happens when provision is opened up to ‘market forces’ and private facilities open up at exorbitant rates, and even greater profit margins than residential provision for elderly people, already plagued by the same problems?”
Want to see more of the stories you love from PlymouthLive?
Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add PlymouthLive as a preferred source, simply click here.
Or read more about selecting your preferred sources.
Plaintosee says: “The NHS has been a ginormous cost to taxpayers for many years, but has become the ‘sacred cow’ that nobody can criticise for fear of being lynched, yet it is bleeding out cash! It also cannot do the job it was intended to perform, mostly due to the massive population and therefore has to enrol private companies that can often do the job more efficiently and at a lower cost??!! We all have to ask ourselves, why?”
Jeanearl writes: “Labour’s plan to reform Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in 2026, implementing a new, more restrictive approach to EHCPs to focus on the most severe needs, can’t come soon enough. Well done, Labour.”
Princewalter states: “It is absolutely needed. Spending £1.5 billion taxiing kids around would solve the dental crisis, wouldn’t it?”
Suelucy comments: “If they knew what you have to go through just to get any kind of help for your child. It takes years, not months, to get something in place so your child can carry on learning, they would realise why the cost is so high.”
Doct feels: “The whole process is heavily stacked against parents, children and schools, and incredibly draining of emotions and energy. This is no bad thing as it means that EHCPs aren’t handed out like sweets, and is more a reflection of wanting to do the best for those with the most need, with ever-stretched resources.”
While over on our Facebook page, Jem M writes: “They have a duty to provide education for students with SEND. This costs money. Central Government are underfunding it, then trying to look like saviours when they wipe out a debt that they caused in the first place. And the wiping out of this debt will depend on Council’s agreeing to SEND reforms, which to all intents and purposes, at the moment, look as if they will simply wipe out the right to a suitable education altogether. Woop woop.”
Judith H comments: “Council built up this debt. They send (excuse the pun) my Grandson to a school in Newton Abbot by TAXI. Yes that’s right a taxi to Newton Abbot every school day with a couple of other children and a council worker in there too to watch them. Why not provide SEN places in Plymouth? Unsure how many more of these taxis go out of the area every day. A while back, no taxi was available, so the council paid parents to drive their own children to school. Seems like money is no object. Then it’s easy to spend someone else’s money.”
Is erasing the SEND debt the right thing to do? Comment below or HERE to join in the conversation.
