Bucks Council has claimed the Government has backed out of plans to fund a new special education school in the county.

Labour politicians in Buckinghamshire have questioned whether plans agreed with the previous Government were ever realistic and championed its party’s plans for special education needs and disability (SEND) reform.

Bucks Council was hoping to construct a 152-place special school designed for children with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs.

It has been argued by Buckinghamshire’s Labour MPs that the project was announced “without a delivery plan” and would have been ready to open in 2030 at the earliest.

This version of events has been disputed by the authority, Councillor Carl Jackson said: “Buckinghamshire Council provided the Department for Education with detailed and powerful evidence which demonstrates the urgent need for a new special school in our county. The Government’s decision to scrap those plans risks having a lasting and damaging impact on many of our most vulnerable children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

“Instead of funding the new special school we were promised, the Government has offered Buckinghamshire Council a much smaller package of funding to expand existing special schools. That funding is woefully inadequate to meet the true scale of demand.”

It was previously reported by the BBC's Local Democracy Reporting Service that the funding going to Buckinghamshire for SEND would be £8 million delivered over a three-year period.

Previously, Councillor Jackson argued that the school was needed to address “significant increase in demand for special schools” in the county.

In response to Councillor Jackson’s statement yesterday, Wycombe MP Emma Reynolds, Buckingham and Bletchley MP Callum Anderson, and Aylesbury MP Laura Kyrke-Smith issued a notice defending the Labour Government’s SEND policies.

They said: “We welcome the Government’s focus on expanding and improving SEND provision through targeted investment, which will create additional places far more quickly than would otherwise have been possible.

“During our discussions with local parents and teachers, there was a clear sense of frustration that SEND provision had worsened under the previous Government - one that made promises to families but failed to deliver for children with additional needs. Buckinghamshire’s proposed special school was announced without a delivery plan, an approved business case, or secured funding. Even under the most optimistic timetable, it would not have opened until well beyond 2030. Families deserve better than empty promises, which is why we are determined to take the time to get this right and deliver provision that is sustainable, properly funded, and meets the needs of local children.

“That is why the Government is taking a different approach: focusing on practical delivery and getting support in place now for children and families who need it. This includes £1.6 billion to strengthen inclusive practice in mainstream schools and early years settings, £1.8 billion to bring specialist professionals such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists into classrooms, and over £200 million to transform local SEND services. It also includes over £200 million for staff training and £3.7 billion to deliver 60,000 new specialist places and improve accessibility across the system.

“After years of rising demand and pressure on families, we will work with Buckinghamshire Council to ensure recently announced Government funding is delivered effectively.”