Published on Tuesday 25 November 2025
To:
Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education
Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Dear Secretary of State,
Re: BCP Council (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) – SEND Expenditure
I write further to my letter to your department dated 1st July 2025 in which I warned the then Deputy Prime Minister of the unsustainable pressure placed on BCP Council by the government’s continued delays in resolving the funding of SEND services.
We are now writing again in solidarity with other councils across the country who are grappling with the spiralling crisis around the Dedicated Schools Grant.
As you know the continued lack of government intervention to address the growing Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is not solely a local issue – it is a national crisis – not just because the debt is increasing beyond any known plans to tackle it, but because it introduces an immediate cashflow problem that few appear to have fully grasped.
BCP Council’s in-year deficit is now likely to be £69.8m, with the entire deficit forecast to grow to an accumulated £183.1m on 31st March 2026.
The current estimate is that in 2026/27 the council’s general fund will be required to cover nearly £10million in interest costs to finance this debt. We continue in the belief that it is not in accordance with the spirit and intent of the relevant legislation, including the statutory instrument, that our General Fund is required to cover the consequences of the annual and cumulative DSG deficits.
Like many councils, in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, the demand for SEND services and the cost of delivery hugely outstrips the central government funding available. This is forcing us to make impossible financial decisions, and the consequences are going to be devasting – not just for councils, but for all communities and for the futures of thousands of children, young people and families.
BCP Council was one of the first councils to raise the fact that the SEND deficit has created significant revenue pressure on the general fund and that there is an increasing risk of breaching established local government funding rules. We have heard promise after promise of a national solution, but we are yet to see any proposals or plans.
We understand your government inherited this complex challenge - which stems from the result of deep-rooted, systemic failings in how SEND provision is funded and supported nationally - but understanding is not enough. We need urgent action.
We need a system that meets everyone’s needs backed up by a funding model that accurately reflects the true cost of delivering inclusive education for all.
We need a national system that holds all stakeholders to account – not just the local authority.
We are calling for meaningful collaboration with local authorities to reform the SEND system so that it is fit for purpose and capable of meeting the needs of every child and young person.
We call on you again for an urgent opportunity to meet with you to discuss our position, to explore with you, short-term solutions such as being able to charge the borrowing interest costs on this debt to the dedicated schools grant and to obtain reassurance that any forthcoming proposals will provide solutions to BCP Council’s particular set of issues.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Millie Earl
Leader, BCP Council (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
Aidan Dunn
Chief Executive, BCP Council (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)