Decision details

To consider and report of the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning seeking approval for the addition of funding into the Children’s Services and Learning Capital Programme.

A cabinet decision is required to add the Capital Maintenance allocation for 2011/12 (circa £3.5 million) to the CSL Capital Programme. In addition, the relevant paper will seek Cabinet approval for the proposed means of distributing this grant, together with the 14-19 Diplomas, Special Education Needs and Disabilities grant (circa £5.2 million) amongst proposed projects for the 2011/12 financial year.

(i)  Subject to complying with Financial and Contract Procedure Rules, to delegate authority to the Executive Director of Children’s Services and Learning, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning, to do anything necessary to give effect to the recommendations in this report.

(ii)  To add, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, a sum of £3,474,600 to the Children’s Services and Learning Capital Programme, funded from Capital Maintenance Grant, for the following schemes:

·  £1,353,000 Special school estate;

·  £1,000,000 Pupil Referral Unit;

·  £400,000 School Solar Power Installation;

·  £200,000 Health and Safety;

·  £100,000 Asbestos Management; and

·  £421,600 School Capital Maintenance.

(iii)  To vire, in accordance with the Financial Procedure Rules, a sum of £5,147,000 from the 14-19 Diplomas, SEN and Disabilities budget to the following schemes:

·  £4,500,000 Secondary School estate; and

·  £647,000 Special School estate.

(iv)  To approve, in accordance with the Financial Procedure Rules, capital expenditure of £1,121,600 from the Children’s Services and Learning Capital Programme, for the following projects:

·  £400,000 School Solar Power Installation;

·  £200,000 Health and Safety;

·  £100,000 Asbestos Management; and

·  £421,600 School Capital Maintenance.

(v)  To delegate authority to the Executive Director for Children’s Services and Learning in consultation with the Director of Corporate Services, following consultation with the Cabinet Members for Children’s Services and Resources to take any action necessary to facilitate the use and occupation of the Former Millbrook Community School site for the provision of children’s services, including services ancillary to those functions, subject to compliance with any statutory requirements. This delegation shall include, but is not limited to, the power to grant or acquire property and contractual interests in the site to deliver such services.

(vi)  To note that further reports requesting approval to spend will be brought back to Cabinet presenting detailed proposals for the Secondary and Special Estates and investment in the Pupil Referral Unit.

1.  With the advent of the 2011/12 financial year, SCC’s Children’s Services and Learning (CSL) Directorate is now in receipt of capital grant funding from the Department for Education (DfE), targeted at investment in the CSL estate. With the Basic Need Grant having been allocated to the Primary Review (via a previous Cabinet decision), it is felt that the other funds available to the Directorate should be focussed on those other elements that comprise the estate.

2.  CSL has a number of urgent priorities for investment, which are highlighted within this report. As such, the above recommendations seek to ensure that the resources available to the Authority are allocated to these proposals, in order that the relevant projects can be commenced.

The proposals contained within this paper represent the means by which CSL can best deliver on its objectives/responsibilities in terms of school organisation and estate maintenance. The option of not allocating the available grant funding to these proposals would necessarily result in a delay in project commencement and, potentially, a failure to deliver on key objectives for the current financial year. In particular, the secondary school estate has a significant profile of backlog maintenance issues, which will only be compounded if not addressed. In the worst case scenario, this could result in serious health and safety issues arising at relevant schools. As such, this option has implicitly been rejected.