Agenda and minutes

Cllr Hudspeth for Cllr Babcock

Cllr Mathew for Cllr Owen

None.

None.

The report (which is to be considered by each of the Scrutiny Committees on 15 December) forms part of a series relating to the Service and Resource Planning process for 2012/13 to 2016/17.

Each Committee will meet in turn to consider the Business Strategies and savings proposed for their service areas. Comments from each Committee will then be considered by Strategy & Partnerships Scrutiny Committee on 12 January 2012 prior to being fed back to Cabinet in order that they can take the comments into consideration in proposing their budget and Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) in January 2012.

The following annexes are attached:

The Acting Director for Children, Education & Families for will be available to respond to questions, together with the Cabinet Members for Children, Education and Families and Schools Improvement.

Cllr Chapman began the meeting with overall remarks on the budget process.  The committee then received presentations from Lorna Baxter, Head of Corporate Finance and Jim Leivers, Acting Director of the Children, Education and Families Directorate.

The committee began their discussion with the capital plan with clarification coming from Arzu Ulusoy-Shipstone, Capital, Strategy & Transformation Manager for the Environment and Economy Directorate.  The committee expressed concern that the capital plan might not address needed projects in schools.  It was also mentioned that recent clarification of capital funding from the education settlement meant that the figures in the papers as presented would be changing.  The committee decided to return to the capital discussion as part of their meeting scheduled for the 20^th of January with the updated papers.

Members of the committee then had individual discussions on each of the proposed variations to the Medium Term Financial Plan which related to children’s services as indicated in Annex 4 of the papers.

From this discussion the committee decided:

·        To ensure that the effectiveness of the HUB model for service delivery remain a priority on the work programme.

·        That the committee receive information regarding outdoor learning centres which is scheduled to be considered by Cabinet in January at its meeting in February.

·        That the committee would engage in the upcoming review on children’s centres as part of the work programme.

The committee also wished to recognise Jan Paine, Deputy Director Children's Services - Education and Early Intervention as she leaves the county council for another position. 

Overall the committee:

Had no further comments regarding the Capital Plan pending a further discussion in January,

Felt that frontline services were protected and accepted the proposals.

Cllr Turner had a further comment that, ‘We recognise that there are still large potential pressures in regards to government announcements such as the academy programme, and request that we are kept updated as the figures and situation become clearer, and fully consulted on any major changes that they may include.’

The meeting concluded at 4.30pm.