As many as 34 out of 51 top tier local authorities have cut their Children and Adolescents Mental Health Services’ (CAMHS) budgets between 2010 and 2013.
One council has cut CAMHS by as much as 76 per cent during the period.
The information has been revealed in a Freedom of Information request by mental health charity YoungMinds.
An estimated three pupils in each classroom has a diagnosable mental health problem. The 2001 census for England and Wales found that nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer from severe depression, for example.
The biggest decrease, of 76 per cent, was reported by Hackney council in London. Ealing, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster Councils have also effected 19 per cent budget cuts.
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