DEVON looks set to spend more than £50m over its annual budget on special needs and disabilities education.

The £53.3 million forecast in-year overspend by Devon County Council would mean its cumulative deficit built up over several years would remain above £165 million – marginally lower than the £169 million recently cited by senior council officials.

That’s in spite of it funneling savings towards SEND, receiving government cash as part of a grant scheme known as Safety Valve, and reconfiguring its leadership and approach for the service.

A major issue relates to education health and care plans, known as EHCPs. These are legal documents that identify the needs of a child or young person up to the age of 25, the additional support required, and the outcomes being targeted.

The total number of EHCPs in Devon in July was 9,943, up 6 per cent from 9,382 in the same month last year.

Besides the amplified demand, the cost of producing each EHCP is rising, hitting £17,271 in July, up £228 from the £17,043 it was costing in mid-2024.

The in-year overspend could be reduced if further savings are identified. The council is targeting £22.5 million of savings for SEND but has suggested only £15.9 million of these as deliverable at this point in time.

Councillor James Buczkowski (Liberal Democrat, Cullompton & Bradninch), the cabinet member for finance, acknowledged the overspend was being driven by a backlog of assessments and a reliance on independent school placements.

Parents can usually opt for their children who have an EHCP to attend their preferred school at the cost of the council.

This has prompted Devon to try and boost its own SEND facilities so that it can accommodate children with EHCPs in-house rather than with external providers.

While the overspend is problematic for the council, many other local authorities are also battling huge SEND overspends.

Devon received £95 million from the Safety Valve scheme last year, but the cash is paid in tranches over a period of nine years.

Furthermore, a central government rule has allowed councils to essentially ringfence the overspends, meaning they don’t affect a council’s annual finances.

However, Devon is also predicting it will overspend by around £10 million across the rest of the council in this financial year, excluding SEND.

Cllr Buczkowski noted that the council had lost a £10 million rural services grant last year, and secured nothing from its notional replacement, the Recovery Grant.

Councillor Julian Brazil (Liberal Democrat, Kingsbridge), the leader of the council, acknowledged SEND was a “massive issue” for the council and many others.

“We are expecting a government paper in the autumn which will hopefully give us some direction as to how the government is intending to deal with [SEND deficits],” he said.

“We’re not alone in relation to this issue, but we have been an outlier.”