Staffordshire County Council racked up a £72,000 taxi bill for one SEND pupil

The sum was the single highest annual charge faced by Staffordshire County Council for home to school transport for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

Janet Higgins, cabinet member for education and SEND at the Reform UK-led authority, published the authority’s top 20 SEND transport spends in response to a formal question from fellow Reform councillor Matthew Wallens. The list shows that the second highest annual charge was £46,953, with 19 SEND pupils having transport costs in excess of £30,000 a year.

Some of the spends on the list were for home-to-school journeys of more than 20 miles – although the £72,158 spend was for a daily trip of just 4.78 miles. The county council provides transport for 2,890 SEND pupils in line with legal requirements, with 290 travelling in single-occupancy vehicles such as taxis.

Transport costs are among the reasons for the eyewatering SEND costs faced by many local authorities, including Staffordshire. The county council predicts that its dedicated schools grant deficit will rise to more than £90 million by the end of 2025/26.

During Thursday’s full council meeting, Cllr Wallens noted the transport costs ‘seem very high indeed’, and asked what actions were being taken to reduce spending.

Cllr Higgins explained the highest individual spends would typically include the cost of a personal assistant for the child, and that statutory guidelines require the council to provide transport that is safe and comfortable, with minimal stress and journey times.

But she told the meeting that steps are being taken to bring down costs where possible.

She said: “Transport is one of my responsibilities, so we’re looking at bringing better sharing of taxis. We’re looking at routes, we’re looking at young people, we’re looking at various things to try and put more children into the taxis. There are also legal issues that we can’t change, but we will lobby government on.

“We’re bringing in a new vacant seat policy that was discontinued by the previous administration. That meant our Staffordshire County Council bus service went past some families’ homes and young mainstream children weren’t able to catch the bus.

“We’re going to bring that back so mainstream young people can buy a seat on one of our buses. That will give us an income and help the families. It’s all about cost-cutting but we have to make sure we still deliver the service and look after our young people.”

Cllr Higgins added that the council would also be introducing mandatory basic English tests and first aid training for all drivers and personal assistants.

SEND spending by local authorities has rocketed in recent years, with increasing numbers of families applying for education, health and care plans.

Councils are currently allowed to keep SEND deficits off their books through a statutory override, which will continue until 2028. A white paper setting out the government’s long-term solution to the issue is expected next year.