A Devon cabinet member is upset at the lack of detail in the government’s spending review linked to reforms of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

Bradley Gerrard www.midweekherald.co.uk

Cllr Denise Bickley (Liberal Democrat, Sidmouth) cabinet member for Send at Devon County Council, said “It was very sad not to hear it mentioned at all and have it bundled in with [upcoming] reviews and plans.

“I am glad it will be dealt with and hope the forthcoming white paper will provide a scheme to fix the things that are going wrong, but that isn’t helping today, which is a shame.”

The spending review provides for a £3.25 billion transformation fund to contribute towards the “reform of the Send system to improve pupil outcomes” – with £760 million between now and 2027/28.

“Details of the government’s intended approach to Send reform will be set out in a schools white paper in the autumn,” the documents said.

Devon’s Send service has built up a cumulative overspend of more than £130 million, and it has around 9,800 education, health and care plans (EHCPs),  documents that specify additional help individual pupils need in school.

These cost an average of £17,000 per plan, according to figures from the county council earlier this year.

The overspend is allowed to be kept outside the council’s main finances, but rules allowing that expire in March unless they are renewed.

At breaking point

Cllr Bickley says the system is “already at breaking point” with mainstream schools being asked to take on more responsibilities, including children with additional needs, but usually without extra financial support.

She added the funding formula also disadvantages Devon, given its rural nature meant its bill for transporting children to school is far higher than an urban council’s.

Cllr Bickley, who has only been in the cabinet post for a few weeks, said the council had, before she took on the role, sent feedback to government about what it wanted to see in the Send review.

“We want to help get what is needed and we need to work with all parts of the education system, as well as parents, to make sure the system works for children,” she added.

“Safeguarding money is important, as we cannot just write a cheque for the needs that there are, but then that means children and parents are not getting what they are entitled to, so it is a very hard balancing act.”

Last year, Devon County Council secured £95 million from the Department for Education through a Safety Valve scheme, which gave grants to councils with large Send overspends.

The money is paid over eight years, and comes with strings attached, such as a requirement for councils to contribute cash to tackling the deficit and improving the service.

Maybe – Owl

Government will fund Cullompton railway station

Two south west MPs have claimed a hard-fought victory in relation to a funding pledge for railway stations in two towns in Devon and Somerset.

Bradley Gerrard, local democracy reporterwww.radioexe.co.uk 

Richard Foord, the Liberal Democrat member for Honiton and Sidmouth, and colleague Gideon Amos, the Taunton and Wellington member, had been hoping the chancellor Rachel Reeves would mention cash for the reopening of Cullompton and Wellington railway stations in her spending review, but were disappointed by the time she left the despatch box having not mentioned the projects.

But Mr Foord has now said the Treasury has confirmed to him that funding would be allocated to the two projects.

Some other local politicians suggested more caution, though, given funding had been pledged for the project before, and then the scheme had been shelved due the change in government after the 2024 general election.

Cllr James Buczkowski, who represents Cullompton on Devon County Council and is also a Mid Devon District Council councillor, said he was “really pleased” the two MPs had continued their fight for the stations, but noted he was “cautiously optimistic”.

“It’s fantastic that we have two MPs who have tirelessly fought for these stations but it was disappointing that the government was not very explicit about the funding for the infrastructure that Cullompton needs,” he said.

“I will wait for the formal announcement from the Department for Transport to see what that entails, and until contracts are signed with them, like they have been with the Cullompton town centre relief road, I won’t get too excited.”

He added it was positive news the funding seemed to be available, but noted that it had been announced and withdrawn previously.

“Until I see wet ink on paper, I’ll hold my celebrations for now,” Cllr Buczkowski said.

Mr Foord has previously argued that the reopening of Cullompton station is vital to make the forthcoming development of around 5,000 homes at Culm Garden Village more sustainable.

“It has been a long campaign over many years, with hundreds of people determined to secure this historic outcome,” Mr Foord said in a statement after claiming to have secured confirmation of the funding from the Treasury.

“Working alongside my Liberal Democrat colleague, Gideon Amos MP, we have raised this issue at the highest levels of government, making a strong case to the chancellor, the transport secretary and the rail minister.”

Mr Foord added that Mid Devon District Council had put together an “irrefutable business case for the reopening of the station.

The MP added the new station would mean residents could “beat congestion in the town”, a reference to Cullompton’s virtually daily queues that form at the town’s junction 28 of the M5.

Rachel Gilmour says government fails the county

Since publication Richard Foord MP for Honiton has now said the Treasury has confirmed to him that funding would be allocated to the two projects.

However, some other local politicians suggested more caution, though, given funding had been pledged for the project before, and then the scheme had been shelved due the change in government after the 2024 general election. – see separate post.

Bradley Gerrard, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

A Devon MP has criticised the government’s spending review for giving “nothing” to Devon.

Liberal Democrat Rachel Gilmour, who represents Tiverton and Minehead, said the announcement failed to support the county or Somerset.

“Nothing for Devon, nothing for Somerset,” she said.

“The spending review feels like a missed opportunity to draw a line under years of Conservative mismanagement, which damaged our public services, left our NHS on its knees, social care and Send teetering on the edge, and school and hospital buildings crumbling – and begin to deliver the change people were promised.

“The government must understand that we can’t fix the NHS if don’t fix social care.”

Ms Gilmour said that while her party welcomed the investment of £29 billion a year into day-to-day NHS spending, she is shocked at the “deafening silence on the social care crisis in the chancellor’s speech”.

“That spoke volumes,” she said.

“NHS investment will be wasted if hospitals can’t discharge patients who don’t need to be there – and if local authorities don’t have the resources to care for people in their homes, preventing them going to hospital in the first place.

“The government must stop dragging its feet and conclude their social care review by Christmas.”

Farmers also seemed to be hit as a result of the spending review, Ms Gilmour claimed.

“Following the budget, this spending review provided the perfect opportunity to change course and back our farmers and rural communities, yet our farmers are still being left to carry the burden of budget cuts,” she said.

“This is unacceptable, and shows that the government have, once again, not considered UK food security.”

Labour claims its funding settlement shows its “steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery”.

Spending review documents said: “The government will invest more than £2.7 billion per year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29.

“Farmers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion through the Farming and Countryside Programme and up to £400 million from additional nature schemes.”

On NHS funding, the spending review stated the £29 billion additional annual cash through to 2028/29 would take spending to £226 billion by that year, equivalent to a three per cent annual boost.

“This investment will support the NHS to deliver the government’s Plan for Change commitment, meaning that by the end of the parliament, 92 per cent of patients will start consultant-led treatment for non-urgent conditions within 18 weeks of referral,” the spending review document said.

Since publication Richard Foord has now said the Treasury has confirmed to him that funding would be allocated to the two projects.

However, some other local politicians suggested more caution, though, given funding had been pledged for the project before, and then the scheme had been shelved due the change in government after the 2024 general election. – see separate post.

Bradley Gerrard www.midweekherald.co.uk 

A Devon MP has criticised the government’s spending review’s strategy which he describes as “unacceptably” failing to invest properly in the westcountry.

Richard Foord, the Liberal Democrat member for Honiton and Sidmouth, said the “vast majority” of funding is targeted at the north of England, the Midlands, and London.

Neither Devon nor the south west are mentioned in initial government documents released following the announcement on Wednesday.

“The westcountry has missed out on essential investment yet again,” Mr Foord said.

“Devon wasn’t even mentioned in the spending review, and this is particularly galling given the 15 per cent cut to the rural affairs budget that will hit farmers and nature-friendly farming schemes.

“It will have devastating implications for our environment, for food security and for our rural economy.”

Spending review papers show that the administrative budget for the Department for Food and Rural Affairs, known as Defra, will fall from just over £1 billion this financial year to £962 million by 2029/30.

The government claims its funding settlement shows its “steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery”.

“The government will invest more than £2.7 billion per year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29,” the documents said.

“Farmers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion through the Farming and Countryside Programme and up to £400 million from additional nature schemes.”

Mr Foord said he is also “disappointed that the government is doing next to nothing” to resolve the crises in special educational needs and social care.