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England’s largest councils have told Sky News they’re facing a “simply unsustainable” funding crisis due to the soaring cost of transporting children with special needs to school.

More money is now being spent on taxis and minibuses for SEND (Special Educational Needs or Disability) pupils by county councils than on family, youth and sure start services combined.

School transport budgets are being described by the County Councils Network as “increasingly out of control”.

Some even face future bankruptcy if expenditure on special needs school transport stays the same, without intervention, it said.

It is also warning some “discretionary services”, such as libraries and recycling centres, may have to be cut.

A report by the Isos Partnership, released early to Sky News, predicts the cost of sending children with educational needs to school will top £1.1bn in the next five years.

That figure would mean costs tripling over a decade from £397m in 2018/19 to £1.1bn in 2027/28.

The number of pupils eligible for free school transport has increased by 120% in the same period from 58,000 to 129,000.

The increase in cost is driven by the “explosion” in the number of children receiving Education, Health and Care Plans (ECHPs), which set out support needed including transport.

ECHPs are legal documents that all councils must adhere to.

The number of children on these plans has doubled in eight years from 105,000 to 230,000 this year.

The same number of SEND students are also now using cars and taxis as they are minibuses to get to school.

Councillor Tim Oliver, chair of the County Councils Network, describes the rising costs of transport as the “single biggest pressure” facing councils.

He told Sky News the current situation is “simply not sustainable”.

“The consequences are that if we can’t balance the budgets, then we will have to stop other services,” he said.

“It’s as simple as that… the discretionary services, so technically that will be the libraries, some councils may have to close their libraries or shorten their hours.

“We will have to look at the cost of the recycling centres.

“The statutory responsibilities are to look after vulnerable people and vulnerable children, social care responsibilities, everything else broadly are discretionary services so all of those potentially will be at risk.”

The County Councils Network is warning of a £4bn funding deficit over the next three years.

One in 10 councils say they are at risk of insolvency this year, rising to four in 10 in 2024/25 and six in 10 by 2025/26.

Council leaders are calling on the government to step in and provide an “emergency injection of resources” in next week’s autumn statement mini-budget.

Lyndsay Critchlow says the money to get her two sons to school is a 'lifeline'
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Lyndsay Critchlow says the money to get her two sons to school is a ‘lifeline’

Lyndsay Critchlow’s two sons have been diagnosed with Autism and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).

Both Harvey, eight, and William, 10, attend a special school around a 40-minute drive away from home.

Their parents can’t drive, and so the boys are transported to classes using a private taxi and personal assistant paid for by the council.

It costs around £17,000 a year.

“It is a lot of money,” Lyndsay says, “but there was nowhere around here that we could find that could meet their needs”.

“Their anxiety is the lowest I’ve ever seen… it’s a lifeline”.

William Critchlow
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Harvey Critchlow’s brother, William, also attends a special school

Eight-year-old Harvey says he really enjoys going to school now “because they understand me more”.

The boys’ father, Philip Critchlow, also describes the difference in his sons: “Two years ago they were completely different children than what you see today.

“Quite literally, they were quiet and inattentive, maybe saying the odd thing.

“And it was heartbreaking to see. Now they get to be children again.

“And that’s worth more than anything.”

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A government spokesperson said: “Every child should have access to a high-quality education, including those with special educational needs.

“Councils are responsible for providing the right support for children in their areas, including school transport.

“Our published SEND and AP improvement plan sets out how we will make sure all children with special needs and disabilities receive the support they need.

“We are also putting significant investment into the high needs budget, which is increasing by a further £440m for 2024-25, bringing total funding to £10.5bn – an increase of over 60% since 2019-20.”

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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