Council notes that:
1. The National Audit Office has concluded that the system for supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is financially “unsustainable” and “in urgent need of reform”, despite funding rising by 58% over the past decade to £10.7bn nationally;
2. There are an estimated 1.7m children with SEND in schools in England;
3. 40% of councils could be at risk of declaring bankruptcy by March 2026 because they are overspending on the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant, which is specifically earmarked for the provision of Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs);
4. Nationally, 55% of EHCPs were issued within the 20 week target in 2023, whilst in Newcastle this figure was 6.5%, according to data gathered by the Liberal Democrats, illustrating the scale of demand relative to resource;
5. The Schools Minister has said that reform will be “huge and complex” and will come “in due course”, but has not committed to a specific timeline.
 

Council believes that:
1. The funding crisis for SEND has been well known for several years, with a statutory override originally put in place in 2020 by the previous Conservative government, to allow councils to spend over their allocated Dedicated Schools Grant, when the funding deficit started to become apparent;
2. Whilst the statutory override needs to be extended beyond its current expiration date in March 2026, this is not a fix for a broken funding model, and  reform is urgently needed;
3. The incoming Labour government should have known that this crisis would need a strong, urgent response, long before the new Prime Minister entered Number 10; 
4. The Liberal Democrats’ plans to create a National Champion for children with SEND, and a £300m funding boost for the production of EHCPs are a part of the solution, which could be rapidly brought forward. 
 

Council resolves to:
1. Write to the Secretary of State for Education and the Schools Minister, calling for a rapid acceleration of plans to address the SEND crisis; 
2. Lobby for an extension of the statutory override, for so long as is necessary to fix the funding model;
3. Back calls for the creation of a National Champion for SEND and the £300m funding boost, and communicate this view to the Secretary of State for Education and the Schools Minister.”
 

Proposed by: Cllr Colin Ferguson
Seconded by: Cllr Christine Morrissey

Council notes with concern that:
   1. proposals to bring Urban Green Newcastle's (UGN) activities “in house” have been discussed by cabinet without a clear statement of the impact on the council’s revenue or capital budget, compared with the position where UGN had met its objectives; 
   2. no explanation has been given as to why previous cabinets allowed significant transfers of cash to UGN with insufficient accountability, oversight or reporting; 
   3. No Cabinet member, past or present, has issued an apology or recognition of their role in the situation. 

Council believes that: 
   1. Council taxpayers are owed an explanation as to why UGN was not set up with a robust and effective governance framework and oversight when it was handed significant assets and cash by the council;
   2. The evidence shows the COVID pandemic was a factor in UGN's inability to meet income targets, but not the factor;
   3. The failure to oversee and monitor arose from successive Cabinet decisions, up to and including the decision to remove elected member oversight from UGN's Board of Trustees.  

Council resolves to:  
   1. Request a clear statement of the impact on the City's current and future revenue and capital budgets over the next five years, relating to UGN's establishment and subsequent dissolution; 
   2. Request that Cabinet issues an apology to residents of the City, employees of UGN, and park users, for how this matter has been dealt with since its inception.”  

Proposed: Cllr PJ Morrissey

Council recognises that:   
   1. the lack of adequate youth work provision in our city, as with other parts of the country, is having a significant and lasting impact on young people, contributing to adverse issues such as mental health challenges, social isolation reduced employment opportunities and involvement in antisocial behaviour. 
   2. investment in youth services plays a critical role in improving life chances, providing safe spaces, and equipping young people with the skills and support they need to thrive.  
   3. service cuts to youth services over recent decades has resulted in a real term loss of £1 billion from Local Authority spending on these important services resulting in a loss of over 1,000 youth centres across the country.  
   4. charities providing youth work often struggle with the competitiveness of source funding to carry out vital work to provide a youth service across the city.  

Council notes that:  
   1. youth service funding has been significantly reduced nationwide, leading to local closures of vital youth centres and projects across our city, leaving many without access to valuable support and safe spaces.  
   2. statutory youth services, adequately funded, would ensure all young people have access to opportunities, resources and guidance to help them thrive and contribute positively to their communities.  
   3. investing in youth services improves long-term outcomes, including educational attainment, employment prospects, and reduced pressures on other public services. 
   4. youth organisation in Newcastle, while delivering exceptional support, continue to struggle due to limited funding and increasing demand for their services.  

Council resolves to ask Cabinet to:   
   1. seek funding from central government, public sector bodies, charities, and similar organisations to establish and sustain statutory, fully funded youth services that support the needs of young people in Newcastle. 
   2. work with local youth organisations, schools, and community partners to identify gaps in current provision and ensure funding is targeted effectively.  
   3. commit to championing youth services as a priority within Newcastle, recognising their role in improving outcomes for young people and enhancing our communities.

Council further resolves to: 
write to the Secretary of State for Education and other relevant Government ministers to raise the issue and urge increased investment in statutory youth services, and to secure funding for Newcastle’s youth provision.

Proposed By: Cllr R Austin  
Seconded By: Cllr C Morrissey