Agenda and minutes

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2010

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2010 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

            Steve Haley (Group Finance Manager) presented a report on the estimated Dedicated Schools Grant position and related issues for 2011-12. 

The Chair (Lauren Connor) opened by commenting on the amount of work that had gone into compiling the detailed information within the report and thanked Mr Haley for his efforts.

Mr Haley explained that the report fell into three parts, with information on the overall budget situation, the centrally retained element and the individual schools budget. He advised that the Local Authority would not be able to provide schools with an indicative funding allocation at the end of January, as there were still too many uncertainties and it was considered preferable to wait until accurate figures could be provided rather than unreliable estimates. He talked members through the report, commenting on the changes both to the method of calculation and the levels of funding compared to the current year and explained the implications. It was noted that the overall increase in budget was only 0.14% but following changes to the budget management, the amount of the delegated budget would increase by 1.1%.

The changes to budget management had raised issues that warranted consultation and members agreed that responses had to be returned by 4 February 2011. This date would allow the Sub-Group to meet and review the final budget proposals prior to the next full meeting of the Forum on 8 March 2011.

Information was provided on a proposed method for allocating former separate grant funding that would now be mainstreamed within the Dedicated Schools Grant. It was possible that some or all of the proposals would require inclusion with the consultation set out in Annex D to the report, to establish the preferred method of allocation. However, members confirmed their decision of 7 December 2010 that the 2011/12 individual school budget shares should be allocated on the same basis as 2010/11 (minute 12(4)) and therefore there was no need for any consultation on this aspect.

Mr Haley referred to the decision made at the 7 December 2010 meeting regarding the Teachers Threshold Pay Grant. He advised that the amount of the Grant had been wrongly reported as being £260,000 whereas its actual value was £2.8m. The Forum agreed that the decision made at that meeting (minute 12(5)) should be disregarded and that the Local Authority should continue the funding allocation in line with the original scheme.

Members considered the 13 items detailed in the draft consultation document at Annex D and decided as follows:

·        Items 1 to 8 – that in each case the Local Authority’s (LA) proposed option be agreed.

·        Item 9 – the figures had been amended to £54,000 retained by the LA with £96,000 being made available to Drove School. The LA proposed option was agreed based on these amounts.

·        Item 10 – clarified that allocation would be made three times a year and agreed the LA’s proposed option.

·        Item 11 – that the LA’s proposed option be agreed.

·        Item 12 – a change to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

            The Chair, Lauren Connor, advised that it was proposed to run a training session for new members of the Forum and also for any existing members who felt they would benefit from a refresher course. Any member who wished to attend should advise Ian Bickerton or Helen Harris of their interest.

The next meeting of the Forum will take place on Tuesday, 8 March 2011 at 4.00 p.m. in Committee Room 6, Civic Offices.

            It was noted that the next Forum meeting would take place on Tuesday, 8 March 2011 at 4.00 p.m. in Committee Room 6, Civic Offices.