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Written question asked by Wendy Morton (Conservative) on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 December 2025. It was answered by Georgia Gould (Labour) on Tuesday, 17 March 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Local Government Finance: Special Educational Needs

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government will maintain or reform the “safety valve” and “deliverability” programmes for local authorities following the centralisation of SEND funding; and how councils such as Walsall will be supported in the interim years until 2028-29.

Answer

The government has announced plans to address deficits through making available the High Needs Stability Grant, which will cover 90% of all local authorities‘ high needs dedicated schools grant (DSG) deficits accumulated to the end of the 2025/26 financial year, subject to the authority submitting and securing the department approval for a local special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform plan.

Safety Valve agreements will come to an end and will be replaced by the new, wider approach to managing DSG deficits and delivering reform across all local areas.

For the 2025/26 financial year, total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND is over £12 billion. Of that total, the West Midlands is being allocated over £1.2 billion through the high needs funding block of the DSG. Of that amount, Walsall Council is being allocated over £67 million.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
96140
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Local government finance Special educational needs Walsall Council
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk