Latest news with #localauthorities
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What are education and health care plans and why are parents worried about them being scrapped?
For children in England with special educational needs and disabilities, an education and health care plan (EHCP) is a central pillar of support. The government is due to set out its educational strategy for children with special educational needs and disabilities in the autumn, though, and has not ruled out scrapping ECHPs. Their removal would signal radical change in how the system works in England. ECHPs are individualised plans that set out the needs of a particular child and the support they should receive – from education, health services and social care – in order have the best opportunity to thrive. But demand for ECHPs is soaring and providing support is proving financially catastrophic for local authorities. One of the criticisms of EHCPs is that they prioritise providing children with individual models of support, rather than developing inclusive cultures within schools and within the broader education system. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has outlined a vision of building a system where more children with special educational needs and disabilities can attend mainstream schools. But removing ECHPs leads to the possibility of children who need more specialist support missing out. Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK's latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. To secure an ECHP, local authorities carry out a statutory assessment to determine whether a child's needs warrant additional support. An assessment does not always lead to an EHCP, but if one is issued, it must outline how the child's needs will be met and the additional resources needed to do so. These resources might include funding to provide a child with a teaching assistant, funding for equipment and transport to school, or funding to go to a specialist school. This system of support helps school leaders ensure that children and young people have the right support, at the right time. According to a report published earlier this year, the demand for EHCPs has risen by 140% since 2015. Recent data shows that there are 482,640 children and young people in England with an EHCP. Many more children have special educational needs, but do not have an ECHP. These pupils are classed as receiving special educational needs support. The percentage of pupils with an EHCP has increased to 5.3%, from 4.8% in 2024. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs support has increased to 14.2%, from 13.6% in 2024. Despite government investment of £10.7 billion to local authorities in 2024-25, a House of Commons committee report outlines that long waiting times for assessments, as well as to access support such as speech and language therapy, has led to parents losing confidence in the system. Funding is allocated to each local authority from central government to fund provision in their areas. It is for local authorities, in consultation with their schools, to determine the individual allocation to schools. However, local authorities are struggling to meet the increased demand for EHCPs. Even when funding is allocated through EHCPs, it is not always sufficient to address the needs of those with complex needs. And funding is not sufficient to meet demand. Local authorities have accumulated huge deficits due to spending exceeding funding, placing some at risk of going bankrupt. Future plans Bridget Phillipson has refused to be drawn on whether EHCPs will be axed. 'What I can say very clearly,' she has said, 'is that we will strengthen and put in place better support for children.' Building more inclusive schools is obviously one way of achieving this vision. If scrapping EHCPs means less funding for children for special educational needs and disabilities, though, this cannot be the answer. Children need more support, not less, to enable them to thrive. The solution is for the government to work out what models of inclusion work well in mainstream schools and to decide how these can be resourced and evaluated. Clarity is also needed on inclusion in mainstream schools can be measured in order to assess whether it is working. Making more support in mainstream schools work also requires an adequate supply of knowledgeable, well-trained teachers. The government is prioritising this through revision to initial teacher education courses, with an emphasis on all teachers being teachers of special educational needs. If the government doesn't get this right, the result may be poorer educational and long-term outcomes for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. It may also lead to issues with teacher recruitment and retention in mainstream schools, particularly if teachers feel that they do not have the level of support in place that they need to meet the needs of their pupils. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Jonathan Glazzard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
No 10 quashes Rayner's demand for tourism tax
Downing Street has backed Rachel Reeves and rejected Angela Rayner's proposal for a tourist tax. After her dispute with the Chancellor over councils charging visitors to use hotel rooms, the Deputy Prime Minister has been lobbying the Treasury to allow councils and regional mayors to be given new powers to charge 'Barcelona-style' taxes. She has teamed up with Labour mayors, including Sir Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, in calling for more 'fiscal devolution' and called it 'deeply disrespectful' to councils that Westminster dictates their budgets. But Ms Reeves is opposed to the idea and has refused to grant any further tax-raising powers, The Telegraph reported on Monday. She strongly objected to the idea of local authorities raising their own money beyond the council tax already charged on properties. Labour sources said the difference in opinion was at the heart of their rift on tax policy, and that Ms Rayner had long called for more devolution from Westminster. Downing Street has now said that there are 'no plans' to introduce tourist taxes, in an apparent rebuke of Ms Rayner's position. 'Places can already choose to introduce a levy on overnight stays through working with their local tourism sector, using the accommodation business improvement district model,' Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman said on Tuesday. 'Tourism obviously plays an important role in the UK's economy.' 'Transformative' impact Pressed on whether Ms Rayner had been lobbying in favour of the policy, and why her department had discussed it with some local authorities, the spokesman added: 'There are no plans to introduce it. 'Obviously, the Government regularly consults on a wide range of issues.' The issue is the latest in a series of disputes between Ms Rayner and Ms Reeves on tax policy. Earlier this year, The Telegraph revealed a leaked memo written by Ms Rayner suggesting a range of tax hikes to the Treasury. The ideas were rejected by Ms Reeves, who let it be known she is solely responsible for tax policy. Councils and mayoralties have been pushing for tourist levies for some time, believing that they could have a 'transformative' impact on their areas at a relatively low cost to visitors. Manchester and Liverpool have both introduced a flat rate charge of £2 per night on hotel stays within their 'business improvement districts', but are barred from making the tax city-wide by Westminster. Many European cities, including Barcelona, Lisbon and Amsterdam, charge a flat rate or percentage-based tax on hotel stays. The hospitality industry is opposed to a similar system being introduced in the UK, arguing that Britain's 'tourism competitiveness' has been eroded by higher rates of VAT than in many European countries. Ms Reeves is understood to agree with the sector that further taxes on their profits should be kept to a minimum after the hike in employer National Insurance rates in last year's Budget and new workers' rights rules that would be costly to implement. One hotelier in Dorset said a tourism levy would cost them £600,000 a year, and that travellers would go elsewhere to avoid it. But Sir Sadiq told a podcast last month that tourists 'don't mind' paying a 'small levy' in European cities. He said: 'We could spend more money improving the public realm, which would encourage more tourists to come but also improve the quality of life for residents in London.'
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Surrey council plots ‘pointless' second homes tax raid
Councillors have agreed to launch a 'pointless' tax raid on second home owners in Staines, despite concerns no one will pay up. Spelthorne Borough Council has just 76 second home owners on its books, yet it has agreed to bring in a 100pc council tax premium from April 2027. Critics argued the small share of second home owners – which equates to 0.2pc of the Surrey borough's housing stock – will avoid paying the levy by making use of exemptions. Owners can swerve the additional rate for 12 months by listing their property for sale, without having to commit to a transaction. The home can also be marketed for let. Spelthorne Council, which was more than £1bn in debt as of January, became the latest local authority to tax second home owners following a meeting on Thursday. Local authorities in England were given the power to charge a double tax premium from April 1 under laws passed by the previous Conservative government.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Buenos Aires to host MotoGP races again after nearly 30 years and hopes to bring F1 back as well
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — After nearly three decades, MotoGP will return to Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires and a renovated racetrack in 2027, with local authorities hoping it will help bring Formula 1 back as well. The top motorcycling circuit has been staging its races in Argentina at the Termas de Río Hondo racetrack since 2014, in the province of Santiago del Estero.
CNA
a day ago
- Health
- CNA
Israel-Hamas war: Gaza reports at least 20 more deaths after deadliest day for aid seekers
At least 20 more people have died in Gaza following the deadliest day in the enclave for those seeking aid. Palestinian local health authorities reported the deaths on Jul 21, just after reporting close to 100 dead over the weekend.
