Issue - meetings

The 2025-26 quarter two budget monitoring position for the DSG being reported to the council’s Cabinet on 26 November is a projected increase in the high needs annual funding gap from the budgeted gap of £57.5m to a year end projection of almost £72m. This reflects higher than expected growth in demand in the later months of the last financial year, with this unabated and with a significant increase in average costs of provision.

Other DSG budgets for 2025-26 are forecast to be balanced. 

The cumulative deficit on 31 March 2026 is projected to be £183m