MORE money could be spent on children with additional needs as a Suffolk leader addressed increased complaints.

Cllr Andrew Reid, the county council's lead for education and services for children with special and educational needs and disabilities (SEND), joined members of the audit committee to discuss the number of complaints over the past year.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Reid did not rule out extra money for SEND services as the council gears up for its budget-setting period early next year — following two rounds of extra investment in February and July this year,

He said: "We will continue to monitor what is a dynamic situation with regards to growth in need around SEND, if that shows that we need more resources, I have the commitment of my colleagues to make that investment."

This came as, during the meeting, councillors were told complaints within the children and young people's (CYP) department increased to 626, more than any other directorate and up 126 from last year.

These were, the council said, mainly due to inclusion services, which refer to SEND, education psychology, funding, education and skills, provider services, and specialist education services.

Addressing this, Cllr Reid said although the number of complaints was disappointing, a significant increase in demand for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) was behind the inflated figures.

He added: "Things are improving, it is disappointing that we have had a rise in complaints but that's proportionate with the increase in demand for education and healthcare plans.

"That indicates something about where we are in terms of the maturity of our service and the improvement journey that we are making."

Demand for EHCPs nearly doubled over the past four years, from 5,842 to 9,024 — up to 5 per cent of these end up generating complaints, or around one in 20.

In the meantime, councillors were also told the local authority paid a total of £272,315 across 94 cases within CYP, a £219,232 increase from 2021/22.

Councillors heard this increase was in line with the council enhancing its focus on early remedies rather than letting complaints prolong and potentially escalate beyond the first stage.

There were some continued worries raised during the hour-long debate about the figures, with Cllr Sam Murray saying she was not reassured there would be figures showing a decrease by this time next year.

Cllr Murray said: "The frustration is that parents would be more understanding of the delay if there were measures put in place with their schools, not waiting for a document that confirms everything they already said to the local authority to get that support.

"I don't accept leaving families in limbo — they complain only as a very last resort."

Officers confirmed updated figures for the first quarter of this financial year did not show an increase but had, instead, remained where last year left off.