Norfolk County Council has secured a £70m funding boost from the government for the authority’s special needs education for children (SEND) programme.
The six-year programme, known as the Local First Inclusion, will provide more advice, support and funding for mainstream schools as well as introduce 15 new schools and community support teams.
The Department for Education has agreed to invest the £70m of additional funding over a six-year period, with £28m being committed in 2023, followed by £6m a year for four years and £12m in the final year of the programme.
Norfolk County Council has also promised to commit an additional £33m over the six years to the SEND programme.
15th Annual LATIF & FDs’ Summit – 19 September 2023
250+ Delegates from Local Government & Investment
Penny Carpenter, Norfolk’s cabinet member for children’s services, said: “It’s fantastic news that our negotiations have secured £70m of government funding to support special educational needs services in Norfolk.
“Together with additional annual investment the council has pledged for SEND, it will enable us to deliver our ambitious Local First Inclusion programme.”
The funding has been awarded to Norfolk County Council in addition to its government core SEND high-needs funding, which amounts to £135m this year.
Norfolk County Council announced that it had secured the additional funding at the first meeting of the authority’s new cabinet on 10 May.
In the meeting, the council also approved its new climate strategy, which includes measures such as retrofitting insulation in buildings and boosting sustainable transport, to support Norfolk’s move to become carbon neutral by 2030.
—————
FREE weekly newsletters
Subscribe to Room151 Newsletters
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us here
Monthly Online Treasury Briefing
Sign up here with a .gov.uk email address
Room151 Webinars
Visit the Room151 channel
