Norfolk County Council leaders say the spending - equivalent to about half the cost of a new primary school - is not sustainable and is taking funding away from frontline services and deepening cuts in other departments.

The authority's total overspend for SEND is expected to hit £183m next year, with the council borrowing money to cover the shortfall.

The funding is used to provide extra resources, such as staffing and transport for 29,000 children in the county who have been adjudged to have special educational needs.

The council is required by law to pay for these extra measures. But its leaders say central government has failed to create an adequately funded system.

Norfolk County Council's County Hall headquarters (Image: Mike Page)

Andrew Jamieson, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: "The interest on the money that we are having to use to pay for that overspend is about £7m a year.

"It's a significant cost to the council which could be used for other services. I don't think it's sustainable."

The council has seen a surge in demand for SEND support and increasingly complex needs among the youngsters who need........

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