Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to support councils in Surrey in managing projected SEND deficits beyond 2026–27.

We recognise that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from the impact of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits on their accounts and that they will need continued support during the transition to a reformed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. This will include working with local authorities to manage their SEND system, including deficits. On 23 June, as part of the Fair Funding Review 2.0, we announced a two-year extension to the DSG Statutory Override, now due to end in March 2028.

We will provide further detail on our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing deficits later in the Settlement process.