High needs/SENDs budget 2023/24
Case reference FOI2024/00690
Published 29 April 2024
Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide me with the following information:
1. What is the name of your local authority?
2. How much was spent on your high needs budget by the end of the financial year 2023/24? Please add the value below
3. What was your original allocated high needs budget for 2023/24?
4. How much are you expecting to have spent on your high needs budget by the end of the financial year 2024/25? Please add the value below
5. What is your original allocated high needs budget for 2024/25?
6. Have you sought permission from the Department for Education to move more than 0.5% from the DSG to high needs in the current financial year 2024/25? Please indicate YES / NO
7. If YES, was permission granted? Please indicate YES / NO
8. Has the council signed up to the Safety Valve programme or any other government scheme to reduce its SEND deficit? If so, how much money has been offered to the council?
8. a) YES / NO
8. b) Name of scheme (if YES)
8. c) Value of scheme to the council
9. Has the council been part of the Delivering Better Value in SEND programme? Please indicate YES / NO
10. Please tell us about any other ways the council is looking to reduce pressure on its high needs budget and add any further comments that would help us understand those pressures on your high needs budget.
Response
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide me with the following information:
1. What is the name of your local authority?
A) Herefordshire Council.
2. How much was spent on your high needs budget by the end of the financial year 2023/24? Please add the value below.
A) £27,400,000.
3. What was your original allocated high needs budget for 2023/24?
A) The original net budget was £22,524,703, i.e. after DfE deductions at source. However due to in-year adjustments, the final net budget was reduced to £22,153,536.
4. How much are you expecting to have spent on your high needs budget by the end of the financial year 2024/25? Please add the value below
A) £29,754,357.
5. What is your original allocated high needs budget for 2024/25?
A) The net allocation budget for 2024/25 is £23,254,357.
6. Have you sought permission from the Department for Education to move more than 0.5% from the DSG to high needs in the current financial year 2024/25? Please indicate YES / NO
A) No
7. If YES, was permission granted? Please indicate YES / NO
A) N/A
8. Has the council signed up to the Safety Valve programme or any other government scheme to reduce its SEND deficit? If so, how much money has been offered to the council?
8. a) YES / NO
8. b) Name of scheme (if YES)
8. c) Value of scheme to the council
A) No
9. Has the council been part of the Delivering Better Value in SEND programme? Please indicate YES / NO
A) No
10. Please tell us about any other ways the council is looking to reduce pressure on its high needs budget and add any further comments that would help us understand those pressures on your high needs budget.
A) The council is creating additional in-county SEND places to reduce pressure on placements to out-county independent special schools.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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