Lincolnshire County Council expecting a £25 million overspend on schools
That's allegedly due to special educational needs pressures
Last updated 4th Dec 2025
Education chiefs now say that they expect to spend more than £25 million over budget on schools in Lincolnshire due to the demand of special educational needs.
Members of Lincolnshire County Council’s executive heard that the authority is predicting a £25.8 million overspend on its schools budget by the end of this financial year.
This is an increase from the county council’s previous forecast in October of a £22.3 million overspend.
Coun Natalie Oliver (Reform UK), portfolio holder for children’s services, told members at a meeting on Tuesday, December 2, that the county council was working hard to address the issue.
She said: “The pressures and the demands that we are seeing in children’s services are significant and also national.
“As officers have explained, we continue to do all we can to mitigate those costs, such as the ambitious Better Belonging strategy and also bringing in placements in terms of our short-stay children’s homes.
“It is important to recognise that we do deliver high-quality services at some of the lowest costs in the country.
“However, as Lincolnshire County Council is one of the lower funded councils, we do recognise that our pressures create a challenge for the council, and as I say, we will continue to do all we can to mitigate those costs.”
In June, the county council announced that it would be spending more than £7 million to create 13 special educational needs hubs at schools across Lincolnshire.
The authority said the new hubs are expected to be completed by autumn 2026 and will create an additional 210 places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Michelle Grady, assistant director of strategic finance at the county council, told members of the executive that forecast overspend was “driven by the pressures on the high needs block” in Lincolnshire and that this remained an issue for many other councils across the country.
She went on to say that the overspend is separate from the county council’s general fund meaning that it “shouldn’t impact on the other finances of the council”.