Agenda item

Revised School Budget 2013/14

(To receive a report from Tony Warnock, Head of Finance Children's and Specialist Services,  which notifies the Schools Forum of the revised Schools Budget for 2013/14 and to seek support for the proposed use of the underspending from 2012/13)

Minutes:

The Forum gave consideration to a report from the Head of Finance - Children's and Specialist Services, which provided the revised Schools Budget for 2013/14 and sought support for the proposed use of the underspending from 2012/13.

 

It was reported that the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) was a ring-fenced grant that could only be spent in accordance with the purposes outlined in the DfE's regulations.  A revision to the Schools Budget was necessary each year to reflect the under or overspending arising on the DSG in the previous financial year. 

 

The report highlighted that the total underspending to carry forward at 31 March 2013 was £16.688m.  Included in this figure was an underspending of £3.345m on the 2012/13 centrally managed DSG budgets.  Details of the main underspendings were shown in Appendix 1.  The underspendings had arisen, as a result of the Local Authority's (LA's) prudent management of the budgets and its on-going strategy of using all other available funds before the DSG.

 

The current commitments of £9.550m were summarised in Appendix 2.  It was highlighted that the LA had no plans to use the underspending from last year to finance new developments.  The report also detailed proposals for use of the uncommitted sum and, in view of various uncertainties, it was proposed that £3m of the DSG underspending for last year would be set aside until the future position becomes clearer.  As the LA recognises that any uncommitted DSG fund should be put to good use and not retained indefinitely, it was proposed to distribute the remaining balance (c.£4m) to schools using the formula for devolved capital, with both the block and per pupil elements recorded as shown in the report being uplifted by the same percentage.

 

The Forum were advised that distribution of the £4m would no longer be made as an in-year adjustment due to changes in the DfE's rules.  The proposal was to write out to all schools advising them that the allocations would be made available on 1 April 2014.

 

During discussion, the following points were noted:-

 

·         Consideration should be given to using some of the unallocated DSG for TAC;

·         That for the January meeting, the Schools Forum should receive a report, which details the proposed allocations of the £4m DSG underspend;

·         Confirmation was given that Academies were included in the redistribution which would take place on 1 April 2014;

·         That the Broadband cost was as a result of the overlap from the old to the new contract;

·         Outreach Programme – The Forum were advised that a report would be coming forward to the next meeting of the Schools Forum in January 2014; and

·         Carbon Management – That an update report should be presented to the next meeting concerning Carbon Management Efficiencies.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.    That the report be noted.

 

2.    That support be given to the Local Authority's proposals for use of the 2012/13 DSG underspending and that a report be presented to the 15 January 2014 detailing how this will be done.

 

3.    That a report on the Outreach Programme be included on the agenda for the 15 January 2014 meeting.

 

4.    That an update report on Carbon Management Efficiencies be included on the agenda for the 15 January 2014 meeting.

Supporting documents:

 

 
 
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