Minutes:
The Panel agreed to take agenda item 10 (impact of savings proposals on specific vulnerable residents) and item 9 (business plan savings proposals consultation pack) with this item.
The Director of Corporate Services, Caroline Holland, provided a brief introduction to outline the main features of the updated medium term financial strategy and to draw the Panel’s attention to the draft service plans.
In response to Panel members’ questions about the medium term financial strategy, Caroline Holland explained that the shortfall for departments who had not met their savings targets was carried forward to ensure that other departments who had met targets were not unfairly penalised.
RESOLVED:
· The Panel noted the additional information in item 10 on the approach that had been taken to services for children, including disabled children
· Panel noted that recommendation 1 of the report had been dealt with at the Panel’s meeting on 3 November 2015
The Panel considered the draft capital programme 2016-20 as set out in the report. In response to a question about the indicative costs of the secondary school expansion, Caroline Holland said that these were based on in-house provision and that costs would be adjusted if the Harris Academy option was chosen. In response to a question about the contingency for inflation, Caroline Holland said that adjustments had been made to individual schemes and that this would be lower risk in future.
The Director of Children Schools and Families, Yvette Stanley, and the Assistant Director of Education, Jane McSherry, provided more information on SEN provision in response to questions. The SEN population aged 0-18 has grown by 13% between 2012 and 2015 compared to growth of 4% in the overall child population. SEN provision has been expanded in mainstream schools as well as at Cricket Green and Perseid special schools. Officers are currently reviewing the specific and diverse needs of SEN children and young people in Merton and the mix of service delivery that will be required.
RESOLVED: to note the draft capital programme 2016-20.
The Chair directed the Panel’s attention to the draft savings proposal CSF2015-07 “review of CSF staffing structure beneath management level” set out on page 61 of the consultation pack and the associated equality impact assessment on page 145.
Yvette Stanley explained that, because the proposal relates to 2017/18 and 2018/19, the description is high level at present. The proposal provides the financial envelope for service redesign but may be re-profiled between the two years once detailed planning work and discussion, including with schools and other partners, has taken place. Alternative proposals would be drawn up if required once the impact of service redesign had been fully assessed. Panel members requested that updates be provided to the Panel during the course of the service transformation work.
In response to questions about income generation, Yvette Stanley said that careful management was required to ensure that schools would want to buy services from the local authority rather than other providers.
RESOLVED: that the Panel accept the savings proposal CSF2015-07 “review of CSF staffing structure beneath management level” in principle, subject to receiving progress reports at appropriate points setting out the proposed mechanism and predicted impact for delivery of this saving.
Panel members commented that the performance targets set out in the draft service plan for Education did not seem to be sufficiently challenging. Jane McSherry undertook to review these and to provide the most up-to-date national comparative data as part of the school standards report to the Panel meeting on 10 February 2016. The Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Martin Whelton, agreed that he would be involved in this review.
ACTION: Assistant Director of Education
RESOLVED: that the Panel note the draft service plans
Supporting documents: