Agenda item

(To receive a report from Tony Warnock, Operations and Financial Advice Manager, which notifies the Schools Forum of the revised Schools Budget for 2014/15 and seeks support for the proposed use of the underspending from 2013/14)

Consideration was given to a report from the Operations and Financial Advice Manager, which advised the Schools Forum of the revised Schools Budget for 2014/15 and sought support for the proposed use of the underspending from 2013/14.

The Assistant Head of Finance, Children's and Specialist Services guided the Forum through the report making reference to:

·         The carry forwards for 2012/13, which included the total underspending on the DSG as at 31 March 2013 totalling £16.688m; the commitments against the sum totalling £9.550m; the setting aside of £3m to cover uncertainties; and the recommendation that the £4m balance of the underspending was to be distributed to all county schools.  It was noted that this was completed on 1 April 2014;

·         It was reported that the underspending carried forward at 31 March 2014 was £15.454m.  An explanation of the movement between the opening and closing carry forwards were as follows:- funds earmarked as being commitments payable in 2013/14 £3.565m; the centrally held DSG budgets underspent in 2013/14 of £5.844m (A full explanation of these were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report); and the DfE's adjustment to the 2013/14 Early Years' block increased the DSG by £0.487m;

·         The Forum was advised that the current commitments total was £6.846m.  Full details were contained within Appendix 2 to the report;

·         Appendix 3 provided the Forum with details of proposed developments to use some of the DSG underspending from 2013/14.  These totalled £2.055m; and

·         It was noted that the uncommitted sum, after the existing commitments and proposed developments had been deducted, was £6.553m. An explanation as to the proposed use of the uncommitted sum was detailed on page 31 of the report.  The Forum were advised that it was proposed that c.£2.5m of the DSG underspending for the last year were to be set aside to finance any pressures that emerge as a result of uncertainties relating to the centrally held Dedicated School Budgets.  It was the intention of the LA to repeat the approach of the last two years and distribute the remaining balance (£4m) to schools in a way that mirrors as far as possible the DfE's Devolved Formula Capital distribution mechanism.

A discussion ensued, from which the following issues were raised:-

·         Some concern was expressed as to the amount of money put aside for sector led development and what that development might look like going forward.  It was noted that school improvement needed to change.  The current contract was due to end in 2017.  The LA had a statutory duty to account for performance across the county.  At the moment the LA was working with Headteachers to develop ideas and plans for new imaginative ways of securing school improvement in the medium term.  The Forum were advised that by 2015 the LA would need to be clear of what it wanted to do with regard to school improvement;

·         Cost of using consultants;

·         The cost of the carbon management projects. Some concern was expressed as to whether this represented good value for money, as there had been little evidence as to how much money had been saved.  It was suggested that funding needed to be targeted to those schools that needed it most.  However, it was noted that the DSG was for the benefit of all schools as was the carbon management initative;

·         The underspend relating to the birth to five staffing;

·         School re-organisation, including new schools and closures, the effect of section 106 and CIL; and

·         Support was given to the amount of uncommitted funding to be distributed to schools being increased from £4 million to £5 million.  

RESOLVED

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    That support be given to:

a.   the developments, as set out in Appendix 3; and

b.   the use of the uncommitted sum, as outlined in paragraphs 9 and 10 above, but that the amount distributed to schools being increased from £4m to £5m.