In one of my first columns of 2024, I outlined three key priorities for the coming year.

Firstly I wanted to set a balanced budget for 2024/25 at a time of rising demand for our services and constraints on our spending and I wanted to keep the council tax increase we asked you for as low as possible.  We agreed our budget in February and last month the monitoring report for our 2023/24 budget showed we were on course to effectively break even in this financial year too.

I wanted to see devolution delivered with all the benefits that will bring for our attempts to help solve the housing crisis, boost our economy to provide more and better-paid jobs and improve our skills and training provision. The public consultation on our devolution plans ended late last month and there has generally been a favourable response.

Thirdly I wanted to see a successful outcome to the long and complicated negotiations we had been having with the Government about the so-called Safety Valve. This is the national financial support which is being provided for top tier councils like Devon which have responsibility for children with special needs and disabilities or SEND.

Ten years ago the Government decided to extend the age range from 18 to 25 for the young people with SEND for whom we were responsible. This was a sensible move but unfortunately we didn't receive the extra money that was needed to look after all these extra people and so councils across the country have been building up deficits on their SEND budgets for the last ten years.

Devon's deficit is set to hit £163 million this year but last week we concluded a top level agreement with the Department for Education for £95 million of national funding to help offset our extra spending.

As part of the agreement, we have committed to using our funds to reduce the deficit to zero within eight years.

This has been a long and complicated process and would not have been achieved without the efforts of our chief executive Donna Manson, our director of finance Angie Sinclair, our SEND improvement director Kellie Knott and their teams and I commend them for their efforts, diligence and hard work in getting this over the line. 

Now we have to deliver on the agreement by ensuring we get our finances in order and make the necessary improvements in our SEND services which our vulnerable children and young people and their families deserve.

We've already made a good start with our SEND transformation plan which will be the subject of consultations with parents and families, schools and our partners in the NHS.

We will need to work increasingly closely with our schools and the health service - something that is so integral to this agreement.

We must also develop and improve our Early Help service so that we can provide assistance and support for children and families as soon as problems emerge.

This not only makes financial sense but it's the right thing to do because we can help to prevent problems escalating.

On top of the safety valve cash we are also in negotiation with the Government for capital money to develop more special school places in Devon as well as more inclusion provision in mainstream schools. That will mean we don't have to send as many children to expensive, independent schools which are often located outside the county.

I am clear the significance of this agreement should not be underestimated and will deliver the service improvements and financial sustainability we both need and want.