A panel set up last summer to look at the ‘extreme challenge’ of Cheshire East Council’s whopping £116 million special needs budget deficit has not met once, a councillor said.
Cash-strapped Cheshire East is overspent on its special needs and disability (SEND) budget because the cost of provision has outstripped government funding.
The council is currently holding this deficit in a ‘negative reserve’, as instructed by the former government, and is paying interest on it.
Yesterday (Wednesday) Cllr Jos Saunders (Poynton, Con) was scathing in her attack on the council’s handling of the debt relating to the high need spending from the dedicated schools grant (DSG).
“The deficit is now forecast to be a whopping £115.7 million,” she said at the meeting of the full council.
“Now I accept that it’s less than what was originally forecast, but we can’t pat ourselves on the back.
“We’re still in debt. The only positive to take is that the debt is rising a little bit more slowly than predicted.”
The Tory councillor said in 2019, under the Conservative administration, there was a surplus of £1.6 million, ‘so things have clearly gone badly wrong’.
“Other councils are also in the lowest 40 funded, but they did not pursue the policies that we did, which meant that we ended up with double the national average of children with educational healthcare plans,” said Cllr Saunders.
“Other councils met children’s needs via mainstream school by giving time and support.
“We were not robust enough in this approach, which has meant that the debt has consistently risen year on year on year.”
She said the council had applied to join the safety valve program, which gives financial support, but was refused because it could not demonstrate how it would contribute to the historic deficit.
“Last summer, a SEND panel was established to look at the extreme challenge,” said Cllr Saunders.
“Now you’d think that the administration would want this to be up and running as soon as possible. Well, I can tell you it’s met precisely zero times.”
She said it had been due to meet this week but that had been postponed because Ofsted was visiting.
“What does this say to our residents about how seriously we’re taking this challenge?” asked Cllr Saunders.
“Unless this Labour/Independent coalition starts getting serious about this humongous debt, it will continue to get bigger and bigger and bigger.”
Just further evidence of Total Incompetence. It never ends!!!
Tell me which Managers, Directors, Senior Executives will be held both responsible and accountable.
Cheshire East Council is beyond belief.
Is this true? If so, it is a disgrace. Can you please tell us the Councillors who were on this Committee and also who is the responsible Exec Director. The CE who has now been in post for12 months so has responsibility. Can he issue a statement to the Council Tax Payers as a matter of urgency.