Taxis to school are ‘lifeline’ for children with special needs but councils face ‘unsustainable’ transport costs

Published

1 year ago

November 17, 2023

admin

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’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”.

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.”

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.”

UK

Harshita Brella: International manhunt under way for husband after woman’s body found in car boot

Published

1 hour ago

November 17, 2024

admin

Harshita Brella: International manhunt under way for husband after woman's body found in car boot

An international manhunt is under way for the husband of a murdered woman, whose body was found in the boot of a car.

The body of Harshita Brella was found in east London on Thursday, tens of miles away from her home in Corby.

On Sunday, Northamptonshire Police said they were looking for Pankaj Lamba – who they believe has left the country.

Sky News understands she had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse.

“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said chief inspector Paul Cash.

“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car.”

“Fast track” enquires were made after the force was contacted on Wednesday by someone concerned about Ms Brella’s welfare. After she failed to answer the door at her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, a missing person investigation was launched.

Her body was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road, Ilford, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

A post mortem – conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday – established she had been murdered.

More than 60 detectives are working on the case, with lines of enquiry including going house to house and property searches, as well as looking at CCTV and ANPR.

“We are of course continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece together exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita,” said chief inspector Cash.

“I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that if you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”

Force referred to police watchdog

On Saturday, Northamptonshire Police said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact between the force and the victim.

Northamptonshire Police previously said officers had been conducting investigations at three locations: Skegness Walk and Sturton Walk in Corby and Brisbane Road, Ilford, where Ms Brella’s body was found.

East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU) and Northamptonshire Police said they were working “around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place”.

UK

King Richard III given Yorkshire accent using state-of-the-art technology

Published

1 hour ago

November 17, 2024

admin

King Richard III given Yorkshire accent using state-of-the-art technology

State-of-the-art technology has been used to create a voice for King Richard III – giving him a Yorkshire accent.

A digital avatar of the medieval king’s head went on display in front of excited history fans at York Theatre Royal.

Richard III was king of England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32.

His remains were found in a car park in Leicester in 2012 by historian Philippa Langley.

Speaking about the recreation, she said: “We’ve got leading experts in their fields who have been working on this for 10 years and so everything has been meticulously researched, meticulously evidenced, so you are seeing the most accurate portrayal of Richard III”.

A team based at Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University created the avatar based on the reconstruction of Richard III’s head with the help of a craniofacial expert.

Experts from various fields helped put the pieces of the puzzle together, including speech and language therapy, dentistry, forensic psychology and archaeology.

His voice has been created by Professor David Crystal, a leading linguist in 15th-century pronunciation. He admitted that it’s impossible to know exactly how he spoke, but this is as close as they will get.

The king was born in Northampton but spent a lot of his life in Yorkshire. His parents were also from the north of England.

Vocal coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm spent a decade researching how the monarch would have sounded. She worked with the actor Thomas Dennis who was chosen as his body and face were such a good physical match.

Speaking to Sky News, she said people will be shocked at how different he sounded compared with traditional portrayals of the king on stage and screen.

The coach and actor also examined the king’s letters and diary so that “as you pronounced a word that’s how you would write it”.

The voice shows the change in pronunciation over the centuries – from regional variations to the Queen’s English.

History fans at the unveiling were delighted with the accent, with one telling Sky News: “Northerners are known to be happy, positive, all those lovely qualities.”

Born in Northampton but a northerner through and through, technology has brought the king’s speech back to life

UK

South Yorkshire Police warning after 13 dangerous dog reports in 48 hours

Published

1 hour ago

November 17, 2024

admin

South Yorkshire Police warning after 13 dangerous dog reports in 48 hours

South Yorkshire Police have warned pet owners to “step up before someone dies” after receiving 13 reports of dangerous dogs in less than 48 hours.

One man was attacked by his own American bulldog in Sheffield on Thursday afternoon, the force said, when he attempted to separate it and a pocket bully inside a property.

The owner suffered lacerations to his face, neck and head, and was taken to hospital, while his dog was seized and remains in police kennels.

Warning: Distressing images below

Another incident saw a woman walking home with her baby in a carrier on her chest, when she was approached by a loose XL bully who began to show aggression and jump up to her baby.

An elderly woman and her grandchild were attacked by another loose dog in Sheffield.

“As dogs causing harm and fear in our communities continues to place significant demand on our force, we’re urging owners to step up, before someone dies,” South Yorkshire Police said in a statement.

The warning comes after 10-year-old Savannah Bentham was killed at her family’s home in North Yorkshire by their dog on 1 November.

Chief Inspector Emma Cheney, leading the work on dangerous dogs across South Yorkshire, said: “Recently we have sadly seen another fatal incident in the UK of a dog causing death.

“People think it won’t happen to them, that their dog won’t cause harm, but it can happen to anyone. Any dog can cause fear and harm and owners who do not step up and prevent harm to our communities will not be tolerated.

“You are responsible for your dog’s actions, and we continue to put people before the courts.

“We only have a limited number of resources, attending dangerous dog incidents takes officers away from other calls. If every owner steps up and makes small changes, we can make a difference.”