Council given £12.7m boost for SEND provision

Bradford Council is to receive £12.7m from the government to improve provisions for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The fund is part of £91m awarded across 14 councils struggling with high-cost services, under the government's Fair Funding Review.

In Bradford, the SEND system will see a boost in transport places and educational psychology support.

Councillor Imran Khan, leader of the Labour group in Bradford, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was "not an overnight fix".

In February 2025, the then Labour administration at Bradford Council agreed to scrap the travel subsidy for post-16 SEND students and replace it with a one-off flat fee payment linked to the distance they travel to school or college.

The authority said the new system would be more "cost-effective" and save £300,000.

In 2026-27 Bradford Council allocated £14.58m for SEND transport services alone.

Jim McMahon, Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, said councils had been "under enormous strain from a broken funding system".

"This targeted support for councils facing the toughest pressures is the next step forward, helping end reliance on emergency funding and providing a blueprint for reform across local government," he said.

The 14 councils in receipt of the Fair Funding Review already receive Exceptional Financial Support (EFS), a mechanism to help councils under the most severe financial pressure balance the books.

The money that is borrowed needs to be paid back with interest.

Bradford Council has since slashed millions from its budget to reduce the amount it needs to borrow but is not expected to come out of EFS until 2028.

In this current financial year Bradford is expected to require £78m in exceptional financial support.

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