Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) councillors have passed a Labour motion calling for consequential funding from the UK Government to be passed on to Welsh councils to help address growing pressures from rising demand for additional learning needs (ALN) support.
Labour Motion Highlights Funding Gap
The motion, approved by RCT full council on July 1, 2026, notes the proposed Welsh Government package of £294m in new spending, which includes £40m for school repairs, £55m for childcare, and £100m for NHS waiting times. According to the motion, this spending is a consequence of the UK Government providing extra cash in England for special educational needs debts—known as ALN in Wales.
However, the council expressed disappointment that none of the consequential funding is being allocated to respond to ALN pressures in Wales. The motion states that the Welsh Government acknowledges ALN expenditure has grown 2.5 times faster than overall educational spending over the past decade and is on track to reach £1bn within a few years. Without extra funding, the council warns it will struggle to meet families' needs and faces wider budget pressures.
Call for Urgent Action
The motion calls on the council leader to write urgently to the finance minister, urging the Welsh Government to reconsider its decision and provide extra ALN funding. It also requests letters to each opposition Senedd group to seek support for passported funding, as well as to local Senedd members representing RCT constituencies. Additionally, the council leader is asked to write to the Senedd's finance committee chair, outlining the potential impact on children with ALN and public services.
Cllr Maureen Webber, Labour deputy leader, welcomed the supplementary budget but stressed that £340m in consequentials for Wales includes money meant to address school debt issues related to ALN. She said: “We are all painfully aware that ALN is a growing pressure on local authority budgets and the new Welsh Government has recognised that this is an issue affecting every council in Wales.” She added that passporting the funding would ease pressure while a long-term solution is found.
Plaid Cymru Amendment Rejected
Plaid Cymru submitted an amendment that was not passed. The amendment argued that the spending results from unallocated funds from the previous Welsh Government and consequential funding, and that spending decisions should be determined by Wales’s priorities, not Westminster’s. It noted that Plaid Cymru secured £112.8m in additional local government funding during the last budget negotiation and committed to sustainable ALN provision.
Plaid Cymru councillor Wiliam Rees said teaching unions raised concerns last year that then-finance minister Mark Drakeford allocated only £39m of £339m in consequentials to education in Wales, with no protest from Labour members. He argued that ALN investment must be sustainable and multi-year, not a one-off payment. He added: “I believe it is slightly disappointing that the new Plaid Cymru government is being asked to resolve something in just over 27 days when Labour had had 27 years in government to try and sort this out.”
