Most of Devon council's £200m SEND debt cleared

The vast majority of about £200m of debt owed by Devon County Council will be written off, the government has confirmed.

Councils across the country built up massive debts - under what became known as Safety Valve agreements - to pay for services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) but Devon had one of the largest deficits in the country.

Julian Brazil, the leader of the county council, said it was a relief but added that councils needed more money to deal with ongoing costs in providing services.

The government, which is due to publish its plans shortly for a reform of SEND services, said the deficits had "threatened [the] council's sustainability".

There was widespread acknowledgement that the mounting debt from spending on SEND services posed a threat to Devon County Council's financial position.

The government said it would "resolve 90%" of the amount of deficits accrued until the end of March.

Welcoming the government announcement, Brazil, a Liberal Democrat, said: "It's fantastic news for us and I can't thank the government enough.

"We had a massive SEND deficit which would have been in the region of £200m and they're paying off 90% of that, so that has meant that we are now solvent as a council."

He added he hoped the long-anticipated SEND white paper - due to be unveiled in February - would bring extra funding which would "make a difference to children and families".

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