Northumberland council leaders warn funding reform needed for services

Demand for adult social care and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support has sky-rocketed in recent years, and funding has failed to keep pace.

Last week, it was revealed that the council will have to make savings of £18.5 million in the coming year, while council tax payers will see their bills rise from April. The Government is providing £7.2 million in additional funding to the core spending power, with additional uplifts for SEND children planned.

Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the council’s corporate services and economic growth scrutiny committee, Conservative cabinet member for finance Coun Nick Oliver said: “There is great uncertainty around demand for services, particularly around adult social care and children’s services.

“Demand has been rising ahead of inflation and what we have seen in the past. We’ve had unprecedented level of increase.

“It does require a difficult national discussion that Governments of all colours have kicked down the road – at the moment and it was kicked down the road by our party, I freely admit it. It is something that needs to be got a grip off, or council finances are going to get increasingly difficult.”

In November, the Government announced changes to the SEND system, aiming to “improve how children with SEND receive support”.

The Treasury has made it clear that the costs will be absorbed by the overall government budget. Funding will be determined at the next Spending Review, which will take place in 2027.

Changes include ensuring children receive support earlier and closer to home.

The Government has also asked Baroness Casey of Blackstock to chair an independent commission on adult social care, which will provide recommendations on how to reform the adult social care system. However, it is not due to report for another two years.

Council leader Glen Sanderson added: “The extra pressures are on adult social services and looked-after children. We have put money into that to invest to save.

“The problems county councils face are providing SEND children, who are just as important as other mainstream children but cost us a lot of extra money – and adult social care, because the demand is rising in both. I’m not going to make a political point because it is not something that has just happened – this has been building up for some time.

“I am disturbed that we see no real prospect of change for funding for SEND pupil and no change at all for adult social care, because Baroness Casey is doing her commission and it’s not due to report until 2028.

“We’re just really keen for all members to put this point to Government – that would help us enormously. We’re doing the very best we can to meet these pressures. Last year we had to find £9 million to fund SEND last year.

“We don’t have a clear vision for what’s going to happen in the future. We just don’t know how many clients will appear for us to deal with.

“We’re doing our best. We have done everything we can do to get it as close to what we think will happen.”