The government withheld an emergency high needs funding bailout from a council that planned to cut millions in school spending, saying it failed to balance its books fast enough.
Bury is one of 34 cash-strapped councils the Department for Education has struck “safety valve” agreements with since last year. These involve multimillion-pound bailouts in exchange for reforms to cut SEND budget overspends.
Ministers insist the agreements are not a “cost-cutting exercise”. But official documents reveal Bury’s plans include slashing £1.6 million from mainstream and special school funding for SEND pupils, taking £715,000 from its schools’ general funding pot, and cutting £348,000 from inclusion hubs.
