Agenda item

To consider a report on the Children and families Capital Programme – Capital schemes (including new, named, and amended schemes and School Condition Programme).

The Committee considered a report on the Children and Families Capital Programme – Capital schemes (including new, named, and amended schemes and School Condition Programme).

Officers agreed to provide a written response to the following questions: -

1)    What the forecast was for future intake of classes and whether they were increasing or decreasing, and whether extra school places were required?

2)    What were the number of teacher vacancies within Cheshire East schools?

In response to concerns raised in respect of the delay in the decision on the Westfield SEN scheme and Crewe Alternative Provision, the Director for Education, Strong Start and Integration confirmed that they had written to  Government Ministers and a response had been received to say that it was still being looked at and as soon as any further response was received this would be shared with Committee.

In response to concerns raised in respect of recommendation 5 around any specific checks and balances that were place in relation to any overspends or underspends exceeding 20% and up to 500K, officers reported those would be referred back to the Capital Board for review.

An amendment was put forward which sought to make the following changes to the recommendations as set out in the report:

-       That recommendation 6 reads ‘Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Children’s Services to allocate uncommitted funds up to the value of £100,000 to enable the progression of feasibility studies, design development and project delivery, where projects will be for the purpose of supporting additional pupil places, SEN schemes, condition schemes and any necessary accommodation updates to school settings’.

-       That an additional recommendation be included to read ‘Further to the Director for Education, Strong Start and Integration writing to Government Ministers, that the Chair of the Children and Families Committee writes to all local MPs and appropriate Government Ministers to express the importance of a swift decision on the Westfields SEN Provision and Crewe Alternative Provision’.

The amendments became part of the substantive proposition.

There was a request for a copy of the correspondence to be shared with Committee members.

In response to a question in respect of Academies and Diocesan bodies and the wider capital programme, officers agreed to schedule a briefing for Committee members to understand how the process worked.

Officers undertook to bring a report to Committee on a “Plan B” should the Westfields SEN Scheme and Crewe Alternative Provision not proceed as hoped.

RESOLVED: (By Majority)

The Children and Families Committee is recommended to:

1.    To note the overview of current schemes in progress and those completed during 2024/25 as detailed in Appendix 1.

2.    Agree the allocation of the Children and Families Capital funding as approved in the budget by full council on 26 February 2025 to the schools and projects as set out in Appendix 2.

3.    Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Children’s Services to determine the school sites and works to be carried out from the block allocations set out in Appendix 2 and take all necessary steps to deliver those works.

4.    To approve the new, named and amended schemes as detailed in Appendix 3.

5.    Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Children’s Services to approve uplifts to project costs of individual schemes approved in the Capital Programme to a maximum of 20% of the approved capital budget or £500,000 whichever is the lesser sum, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer where required by the Finance Procedure Rules.

6.     Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Children’s Services to allocate uncommitted funds up to the value of £100,000 to enable the progression of feasibility studies, design development and project delivery, where projects will be for the purpose of supporting additional pupil places, SEN schemes, condition schemes and any necessary accommodation updates to school settings.

7.     Delegate to the Executive Director of Children’s Services the authority to approve Virements and where necessary enter into grant agreements with Academies and Diocesan bodies to facilitate the delivery of the projects identified in the Children and Families Capital Programme.

8.    To note the information provided in appendix 4, Briefing note – Condition, Compliance and Health & Safety assessments in our schools.

9.    To note that the Executive Director of Children’s Services will provide a regular

update to committee on the implementation of the Children and Families Capital Programme and the exercise of the delegations set out in this report.

10. To note that the Executive Director of Children’s Services will provide a further report to committee detailing the school condition programme once the school condition grant allocation has been announced by the DfE.

11.Further to the Director for Education, Strong Start and Integration writing to Government Ministers, that the Chair of the Children and Families Committee writes to all local MPs and appropriate Government Ministers to express the importance of a swift decision on the Westfields SEND Provision and Crewe Alternative Provision.