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Council approves budget

Dumfries and Galloway council has approved its budget and will cut 52 learning support jobs, despite opposition to the move.

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Concerns over council cuts to learning support

Lewis and Ryan both benefit from additional needs services Credit: ITV Border

Parents across Dumfries and Galloway are concerned about the council's proposals to cut 52 learning support jobs.

The cuts are being put forward as part of a review into the Supporting Learners Service across the region. The council has to save £32million by 2018, and says it has tried to protect the education budget as far as possible.

However, some parents of children with a range of disabilities are worried about what the cuts will mean.

Demi Powell is worried about the impact of the cuts on her sons. Credit: ITV Border

Demi Powell is a single mother of two from Dalbeattie. Both of her sons, Ryan and Lewis, have different disabilities and require one-to-one support during school.

She has worked closely with various specialists for around five years to ensure they receive the best support possible, and feels the cuts will undo any progress already made:

"One of the things that's been really difficult is that the impact of it is just not clear at all.

There are cuts right across the service from educational psychologists and the speech therapists who provide the expertise down to the classroom assistants who are there on a day-to-day basis with the children.

I think that's part of the issues- it isn't possible to tell how it's going to impact on your child until it happens."

– Demi Powell
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Council approves budget

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