Reform UK’s deputy leader today claimed some parents are ‘using and abusing’ free taxis to school for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

Richard Tice warned ‘unsustainable’ spending on SEND provision is set to ‘bankrupt’ local councils as he called for changes.

Children aged 5 to 16 can qualify for free transport if they are unable to walk to school because of special educational needs, disabilities or a mobility problem.

Spending by councils on home to school transport for SEND children is predicted to reach nearly £2billion this year.

This represents approximately a 200 per cent increase on the amount spend in 2015/16, according to a recent analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA).

The research also found the average cost per child of providing SEND transport was around £8,900 a year.

The soaring cost of SEND provision – including free transport – is piling pressure on cash-strapped local councils.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Mr Tice said Reform were ‘digging into’ the issue across the local authorities they now control following May’s elections.  

Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice claimed some parents are ‘using and abusing’ free taxis to school for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)

‘Across the country, SEND is in crisis – the growth in numbers and the cost of that provision and the cost of transport,’ Mr Tice told reporters in Westminster.

‘This is going to bankrupt councils; no ifs, no buts – it is not sustainable.

‘There are many children who need extra provision, but I regret to say there are some parents who are using and abusing the system and we have to be honest about that.

‘That may upset some people, that is the harsh reality.

‘Some parents they want to save themselves the opportunity to get up in the mornings, set the alarm and crack on and drive their children to school.

‘So they’re using and abusing the free taxi service. This is not sustainable in a country that wants to get richer.

‘So change has to happen. I think the Government recognises it, we’re digging into it in our councils. The SEND provision is not sustainable.’

Mr Tice welcomed the Labour Government’s consideration of SEND reforms, which are due to be set out in a white paper this autumn.

The research for the LGC by the Isos Partnership found total SEND transport expenditure for 2023/24 was £1,733,513,195 – up from £644,757,072 in 2015/16.

This was projected to be around £1.97billion in 2025/26.

Data released by the Department for Education in June showed the number of children with education, health and care (EHC) plans – which allow them to access funding for special educational needs – surged by 10 per cent in the year to January.

And provisional budgets underlined the increase in the costs of helping people get to schools. 

Just over £1.5billion was earmarked for transporting SEN pupils aged up to 16 in 2024-25. That was up from £1.2billion the previous year – and around three times the level from 2017-18.

The overall schools budget in England was around £64billion last year. 

Transport for mainstream pupils rose by around a fifth to £514million in 2024-25, although the rises have not been as pronounced previously. 

SEND is a slightly broader category than SEN, including those classed as having disabilities. 

Any child is entitled to free travel if the nearest suitable school is more than two miles away for under-eights – or three miles for older children.

Cllr Arooj Shah, chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, said in July: ‘The rapidly rising need for home to school transport from children and young people in SEND is yet another reminder of the huge pressures on the SEND system.

‘It is also wrong that children are increasingly having to travel long distances to get to school because of a lack of provision near to their home. This has to change.

‘We urge the Government in its white paper to deliver the comprehensive reforms the SEND system needs, so that it is more inclusive and improves educational attainment for children.

‘This should also include putting councils on a stable financial footing by writing off councils’ high needs deficits, which are projected to reach £5 billion next year.’