A £1 million pot of cash aimed at reducing waiting times for autism assessments in Devon might not be renewed.

The funding to the county council from the NHS in Devon this year was targeted to reduce long waiting times for families trying to find out if their children have the condition. Some wait more than a year the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Getting formal verification can be vital for education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which outline extra help that children with additional needs might require at school.

Devon County Council chief executive Donna Manson raised the issue with councillors at this week’s cabinet meeting .

“Last year, the NHS in Devon and the integrated care board invested £1 million in the autism recovery programme, which supports the target of ensuring a wait for an assessment is not more than 52 weeks,” she said.

“I’m concerned about that investment not continuing into next year because the wait among families for autism assessments is significant, and so I want to raise that as a concern.”

Ms Manson added that £1 million had not been secured for the next financial year, but negotiations would begin soon.

This prompted council leader Cllr James McInnes to propose a recommendation to “show the public this is a key issue for us”.

Ms Manson welcomed the “formal support from members” as it could be used in her negotiations with the NHS locally, or nationally if required.

In December NHS Devon wrote to parents of children and young people who had been on the assessment waiting list for more than 12 months to “reassure parents that they have not been forgotten” and that staff were “working hard” to offer assessments as soon as possible.

A spokesperson for NHS Devon said it was finalising its financial plan for the forthcoming year, so it wasn’t possible to say whether a decision had been made.