A reader has dismissed Cheshire East's approval of the management plan for special needs which will see the budget rise to £306.9m by 2028 as not good news for SEND parents and carers.

Alsager Nub News revealed here that the dedicated schools grant went through on the casting vote of the chair of the children and families committee.

The council is now going to take part in the Department for Education's safety valve intervention programme but a reader, who did not want to be identified, alleges the situation is far from perfect.

"It is NOT good news for the parents and carers of children and young people with SEND, it is very bad news Cheshire East Council has already had consultants commissioned by the DfE come and look at the SEND budget under the "Delivering Better Value" program," they said.

"Rather than finding the massive inefficiencies the DfE clearly expected to, they found that meeting their legal obligations to children and young people with SEND would cost more than the budget provided by central government would pay for.

"The ONLY reason a child/young person with SEND would be placed in an independent setting would be because there is suitable setting available more cheaply, so the prevalence of CYP that are placed in independent settings is an indictment on the provision in place in Cheshire East.

"It is appalling that this ignorance is displayed by our elected councillors, but also that it goes unchallenged by the local press whose role is surely to hold people to account?

"It is untruths like this that make life harder for the families of children and young people with SEND as it creates a public understanding that the EHCP is a "golden ticket" and that they can pick and choose and get anything they want. The reality is so different!

"So having established that there weren't lots of quick wins to bring down the deficit, the LA is now signing up to a program that requires them to meet targets about reducing the support for children and young people without any regard for the impact this has upon those children and young people, or the legality of the cuts."