Doncaster Council warned to take action to reduce education overspend

The Auditor’s Annual Report, conducted by GrantThornton, has set out a recommendation to Doncaster Council to reduce overspending on its Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG).

The DSG is an annual government fund to local authorities which sets out how much can be spent on education services.

In 2022/23, the council overspent by £6.2 million, resulting in an accumulated £19.9 million deficit by March 2023.

Overspending took place largely in the high needs block, which includes education for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The number of pupils being identified with SEND has risen significantly across the country, with an increase of 87,000 from 2021-22.

While the council implemented several cost-cutting measures in 2021/22, rising demands deemed these ineffective.

Government guidance currently allows DSG overspends to be excluded from yearly accounts, however this is set to end in 2026.

The audit report therefore warned the council to reduce its overspend or set aside additional resources to avoid eliminating its £14.3 million reserves.

If measures do not take place, the council will have overspent a predicted £38.6 million by 2027.

Doncaster is one of 55 councils across the country participating in the Department for Education’s Delivering Better Value in SEND scheme.

The scheme aims to improve monetary value in services, however no measures have yet been identified to significantly reduce spending for the council.

In other areas, the audit report stated that the council continues to have effective governance and practices good value for money in its expenditure.