Government support for council SEND spending 'long overdue admission' of failure, Doncaster councillor says
The Government announcement to pay 90 per cent of council deficits linked to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) spending was not a “generous gift”, a senior councillor has said.
Councillor Sue Farmer, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said the City of Doncaster Council would be liable for £12million in 2028, if the current commitment from the Government to cover almost all of council’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits is extended a further two years.
The statement was in response to a question from Labour’s Cllr Bob Anderson, who represents Rossington & Bawtry ward, who asked if the council would be able to afford the final 10 per cent it could be expected to pay.
Cllr Farmer said in response: “Let’s be absolutely clear: the Government’s decision to fund 90 per cent of DSG deficits at March 2026 is not a generous gift — it is a long overdue admission of a national crisis that councils have been warning about for years.
“Across the country, High Needs deficits have spiralled. It is estimated that the national deficit will around £5 billion by the end of this financial year and before the recent announcement from Government threatened the viability of many councils across the country.”
Cllr Farmer took aim at previous Conservative governments, blaming them for the issues local authorities face today, which prompted groans from the opposition benches.
Earlier in February 2026, the Government announced its intention to pay 90 per cent of the accumulated DSG deficits to March 2026.
The Department for Education said it would also offer support for further deficits over 2026/27 and 2027/28. The statutory override keeping DSG deficits off of council books ends in 2028.
Any additional support through 2027/28 would be “appropriate and proportionate”. There is no guarantee that the same support – 90 per cent – is extended.
Cllr Farmer said that if the same support was extended, the council would need to pay more than £10m.
She explained: “On current projections, this council will be liable for nearly £12m by the end of March 2028.
“Following the announcement from this Labour Government that they will be providing an additional £10m of funding over the next three years through an uplift in the recovery grant, Mayor Ros [Jones] has identified that this additional funding should be earmarked towards DSG alongside the Government commitment.”
At a cabinet meeting on February 11, 2026, Mayor Jones indicated that the £10m in recovery grant funding would be used to cover most of the council’s anticipated DSG deficit contribution.
In officer reports for the full council meeting, Faye Tyas, chief finance officer, detailed four possible scenarios for what the government may choose to do with regards to DSG deficits accumulated over 2026/27 and 2027/28.
One scenario for the council, which would see the Government cover just 50 per cent of deficits over the next two years, could see Doncaster Council’s required contribution rise to £36.5m.
“It would not be prudent for any council to assume future support will match the scale of historic deficit relief currently proposed.”
Cllr Karl Hughes, chair of the overview and scrutiny management committee and Reform UK member for Stainforth and Barnby Dun, previously warned it would not be “prudent” for the council to assume support through 2027/28 would be the same.
He said: “It is important residents understand that the current proposal is linked to historic deficits as they stand at March 2026, not future projected deficit figures.”
He added: “Residents deserve clear and honest information about both the progress being made and the challenges that remain.
“Scrutiny will continue to focus on protecting support for vulnerable children while also protecting wider council services for residents.”