To the House of Commons.  

The petition of residents of the United Kingdom, 

Declares that most councils are being hit by financial pressures compounded by rising demand for SEND transport and increasing complexity of need, and are being forced to cut costs – threatening vulnerable children’s access to education and vital support; further that 43,000 children with special educational needs are being sent to school outside of their home local authority area because of a nationwide funding crisis – including 3,300 educated more than 20 miles away and more than 100 children travelling 200-plus miles away; notes that a Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation found that: the special needs funding black hole in England has risen in a year by £465m to £1.3bn; three out of four councils have SEN funding deficits, the largest deficit being £103m; the number of children receiving support has risen more than 20% in some areas in a year; many parts of the country do not have the space or facilities at mainstream schools to cope with demand, leaving them reliant on more costly independent and out of area settings; pressures on the SEND system mean at least 13,500 children travel to and from school in taxis; and further that local councils lack the powers to bring spending under control and potential reforms outlined in the SEND green paper are years away from implementation. 

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to reallocate funding to cover the rising costs of SEND transport, and make the funding of post-16 SEND transport statutory for local authorities, ensuring children and young people can access the education and support they need and the financial crisis facing local authorities is resolved. 

And the petitioners remain, etc.