BCP Council calls on government to cover full SEND funding gap
10 October 2026 · By Boroughly editorial — AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
BCP Council is pressing the government to fully fund its historic Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit, warning that an outstanding £38 million shortfall will compound already serious financial pressures on the authority.
The government has approved the council's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reform plan, making BCP eligible for a £161.85 million grant that covers 90% of the DSG deficit accumulated to the end of 2025/26. That is a significant step forward — but it leaves the council responsible for the remaining 10%, a sum of £38 million.
That residual debt lands on top of existing pressures. The council says it is already facing additional in-year costs of more than £32 million, and is forecasting a budget gap of around £38 million for next year. The combination, it warns, risks pushing its finances into seriously difficult territory.
The call comes as BCP publishes its latest medium-term financial plan update, which sets out the scale of those pressures in detail. For Poole residents, the stakes are practical: persistent funding gaps of this size typically feed through into decisions about local services, from adult social care to parks and libraries.
The council is urging the government to revisit the 10% rule and provide full coverage of the historic deficit as part of broader SEND reform. Full details are on the BCP Council news hub.