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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the end of the statutory override for the Dedicated Schools Grant on the ability of local authorities to set General Fund Accounts.

The government recognises the impact that Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits are having on councils’ finances and will continue to work with the sector on a way forward.

The government intends to set out plans for reforming the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system in further detail this year. This will include details of how we will support local authorities to deal with their historic and accruing deficits and any transition period from the current SEND system to the reformed system. This will inform any decision to remove the DSG statutory override.