A CONTROVERSIAL decision to cut council cash for pupils with special educational needs in Halton has been abandoned following a backlash.

The announcement was made at an executive board meeting on Thursday where cabinet members made a U-turn on their decision to stop funding enhanced provision applications for special educational needs and disabled (SEND) pupils.

Enhanced Provision is a discretionary top-up funding  for children in mainstream schools who need extra support because of special needs, disabilities or behavioural problems.

It is used to fund resources such as teaching assistants, handwriting, spelling and numeracy interventions, educational psychologist consultations and emotional support.

Formerly, schools could apply to the council for this funding when they could not meet the individual needs of SEND children within their own resources.

In March an email sent to teachers revealed this funding for new applications was no longer available, with immediate effect.

Councillors have now agreed to temporarily stop the funding, with a view to allow applications to resume in September 2018.

In the meantime, the council will arrange a month long public consultation on special needs funding, following complaints from concerned locals and teachers who said they’ve been kept in the dark over the budget shortfall.

There is an estimated £2.1 million gap in Halton’s Higher Needs budget, which the council said has been exacerbated by recent changes to the funding formula proposed by Government.

The council have made cuts to Pupil Referral Units, behavioural support teams and special needs schools to make millions worth of savings, but still face a £220,000 budget shortfall.

At a meeting on Thursday, Cllr Tom McInerney, board member for children, young people and families said the council would never make cuts to SEND pupils unless they absolutely had to.

He added that money from central government had failed to keep up with rising demand for SEND support, forcing the council to make extremely difficult decisions.

However,  chairman of Halton Liberal Democrats, David Coveney, said austerity was no excuse for making cuts that would target the most vulnerable in society.

He said: “We appreciate that like all councils nationwide, Halton Council is struggling with recent reductions in funding from central government, but to target cuts to the most vulnerable in society strikes us as being a poor approach.

“Consequently, we ask Halton Council to look again and reconsider, and to find money from elsewhere, so that the education of these children is looked after without impacting the ability of hard pressed teachers and assistants to do their jobs.”

In a statement a spokesperson from Halton council said: “Unfortunately, Government funding made available for supporting children and young people with special educational needs is not sufficient to meet demand, and with increasing numbers of children and young people who need support there are significant, and virtually unsurmountable budget pressures.

“To meet this gap proposals put forward include the removal of the opportunity for schools to apply for short term, discretionary top-up funding.

“These decisions are not easy, and a report will go back to the executive board proposing to maintain the current position whilst a review is undertaken to determine the future of Enhanced Provision for the next academic year.”

The spokesperson added that  pupils who were already receiving enhanced provision funding would continue to do so, and that the council would continue to meet their statuary obligation for funding Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs).

EHCPs are for people aged up to 25 who have severe and complex special educational needs or disabilities, whereas enhanced provision is for pupils in mainstream schools who need additional support not available through their school’s own resources.