Tony McArdle is the man who holds the purse strings to stop councils going bankrupt – but only if they comply with strict cost-cutting of services for pupils with special needs.
McArdle is both saviour and bogeyman for councils with staggering deficits in their budgets to provide education for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). He holds the purse strings to £800 million of Department for Education bailouts they desperately need to avoid going bankrupt.
But, in return, councils must agree stringent cost-cutting measures likely to spark outrage among parents and schools.
McArdle leads the DfE’s “safety valve” negotiations, which are now helping 45 councils to get their SEND deficits back on track, including five planned for next year.
