The Strategic Director of Children’s Services will present to Forum Members the Council’s (Children’s Services) budget position and the proposals for 2017-19 that are currently out for consultation across the District.

Recommended –

The Forum is asked to consider the budget proposals and to give feedback.

(Michael Jameson – 01274 431266)

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services presented the Council’s (Children’s Services) budget position and the proposals for 2017-19 that were currently out for consultation across the District.

The detail of this presentation is recorded in the PowerPoint (these minutes do not repeat the detail). The Strategic Director emphasised that the proposals are based on the key priorities of improving educational outcomes, safeguarding and supporting vulnerable children and families at the point of need and promoting employment and skills for all and on the key principles of early help and support, managing demand and building on strengths, improving placement choice, a school-led delivery system, which includes trading and maximising the benefits of integration and joint commissioning. He also emphasised that the proposals are made in the context of reducing central Government funding (a further £82m of savings by 2020), a growing population, increasing numbers of new arrivals into the District, and increasing demand for services, but also in the context of reducing DSG budget contributions and growing pressure in the High Needs Block. The Deputy Director added that the DSG financial element is hugely challenging for the Council, as it is for schools.

In summary, the Strategic Director explained the proposed budget savings as follows:

• £0.47m, 2017-18 Savings Proposals already approved in February 2016 (£0.15m School Improvement, £0.243m Employment & Skills, £0.077m Youth Offending)
• £1.518m, 2017-18 Savings Proposals already approved in February 2016 where amounts and phasing have altered (Social Care)
• £1.207m, 2017-18 Savings Proposals already approved in February 2016 replaced with compensatory proposals subject to consultation (Social Care)
• £1.808m, 2017-18 & 2018-19 New Saving Proposals subject to consultation (£0.06m School Readiness , £0.3m Employment & Skills, £1.448m Social Care)
• £2.4m, Potential Loss of Dedicated School Grant for Council Services
• Total Savings of £7.4m in 2017-18 and 2018-19 (excluding current year pressure of £3.1m)

Schools Forum Members asked the following main questions and made the following comments:

• The Vice Chair commented that schools with higher proportions of children from vulnerable families are in receipt of the Pupil Premium Grant but there is a tension in that schools are increasingly needing to use their PPG to pay for support services that are no longer available through the Council / not available without charge, pulling this funding away from spend on educational outcomes focused interventions.
• The Chair commented that the stand out impression that comes from this presentation (and the size of the budget reductions) is the necessity to drive immediate and substantial cost efficiencies, within both the Council’s budget and the DSG.
• In terms of efficiencies, what strategies are being employed by the Council across its budget? Can these been shared with the Forum e.g. early help, more effective collaboration. A report on this would be welcomed.
• There are significant efficiencies to be found in improving how schools and health services work together.
• How much reserve is the Council proposing to use in its budget across 2017-2020? The Director of Finance stated that it is proposed to use £20m of reserve over the next 4 years, but with £17m of this in 2017/18. Following this, the Council will have £150m of reserve, of which £40m is in schools.

At the end of the Forum’s discussion, the Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills, stated that these were a set of very difficult budget proposals with no easy choices. The budget position is such that the Council is struggling to deliver statutory services. Within this, education is a priority and the Council wishes to work very closely with its partners and with schools in particular.

Resolved –

(1)  Forum Members are asked to give their feedback to the Executive’s budget proposals affecting education and Children’s Services either to the next meeting (11 January) or directly via the consultation process.

(2)  That a report be provided to a future Forum meeting on what guiding strategies the Council is employing to deliver its budget savings (strategies such as focusing on early help, delivering further efficiencies, multi agency budget collaboration and transfer of responsibilities).