Agenda and minutes

Councillor Hudspeth for Councillor Sexon

Councillor Brighouse for Councillor Hutchinson

Apologies from Councillor Altaf-Khan, Councillor Seale, and Brenda Williams

None.

Corrected misspelling for Councillor Badcock.

None.

10:15

The Committee will be joined by Sara Livadeas, Deputy Director, Joint Commissioning as well as Sarah Breton, Strategic Lead & Head of Joint Commissioning for a Q&A regarding recent changes.

The committee was joined by Sara Livadeas, Deputy Director – Joint Commissioning (SL) and Sarah Breton, Strategic Lead and Head of Joint Commissioning (SB) to receive a report.  Speaking to the paper, SL described the new joint commissioning approach to Social and Community Services and Children’s Services as well as the considerations taken to come to the new arrangement.  The ensuing discussion highlighted the fact that while the two services appear to be quite dissimilar in terms of the amount of service that is contracted out, the guiding principles for commissioning were the same as well as the aim, which is to support families.  The approach to joining up would seek to remove duplication, while retaining expertise (bringing down ‘silos’ where they exist) – which the committee supported.  There was also a discussion about whether in the larger context of commissioning, if the much small contracts for children’s services would be eclipsed by the larger adult care contracts.  SL reassured the committee that this was an important consideration in the way the team leadership was structured. . The lead officer for children is parallel to the lead officer for adults to ensure an equal weight for overall service decisions.  There is much to be gained from a more coherent approach to contracting, which is currently very fragmented, so that there is a consistent approach to service providers and risk in this area is reduced

The committee asked that Joint Commissioning return in a year’s time after it’s been fully established.

10:45

Arzu Ulusoy-Shipstone, Capital, Strategy & Transformation Manager, will provide an updated position on the Capital Programme as it relates to the Children, Education and Families directorate.

Speaking to a report, Arzu Ulusoy-Shipstone, Capital, Strategy & Transformation Manager (AU-S) gave the latest position on the confirmed amounts in the capital budget.  She reported that while there were sufficient funds for the Basic Maintenance and Structural Maintenance budgets, there continued to be unknown elements of the impact for national policy decisions around funding especially around the shift to academies. Roy Leach, School Organisation & Planning Manager, added that at the moment, a school’s decision to become an academy does not have an impact on investment decisions, adding that this clarification will be communicated through the Schools’ Forum.  While the county council does not currently have a written policy regarding this, discussions are underway to develop one.  The committee had a discussion about existing investment commitments and what changes have occurred and whether these decisions have been communicated with schools.  

11:15

Simon Pickard, CEF Finance Business Partner, will give the committee an update on the financial implications of schools opting for academy status.

Simon Pickard, Finance Business Partner for Children Education and Families (SP), along with Andy Roberts, Interim Deputy Director - Education and Early Intervention (AR) joined the committee for a question and answer session regarding the expected financial impacts for recent shift in national policy towards the promotion of academies.  SP confirmed that there are financial pressures arising around the amount of funding available per pupil in Local Authority Central Spend Equivalent Grant (LACSEG) calculations.  He described the national picture as ‘fluctuating wildly’ around the price paid per student and said that there were additional consultations on the horizon which contributed to the uncertainty. However, there was a downward trend in per pupil deductions and the Council had made accurate projections of the deductions to date, meaning there was no immediate financial problem.  The committee requested that the costs of running an academy are made transparent in any future consultations on Academy status.  The committee also decided to explore a possible seminar on this issue to take place later in the year for all local elected members.  Lastly, the committee asked that an upcoming paper on this which is to be considered by the Cabinet be brought to the committee.

12:00

The meeting finished at 12.40.