Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

This item has been deferred until the next Cabinet meeting on 13 December 2016.

Following on from the previous item, where the financial details of the Council had been presented, the Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Educational Achievement acknowledged the difficulties of approving funding for school expansions in this challenging financial climate and reminded Members of the huge sums of money that had already been borrowed by the County Council to fund additional school places.

However, she presented this report which requested the approval of the business case for the expansion of Salesian Catholic Secondary School from 220 admissions per year (1100 places) to 270 admissions per year (1,350 places), thereby creating 250 additional places in Runnymede and the Elmbridge Catholic Deanery to help meet the basic need requirements in the Runnymede and Elmbridge area from September 2018.

The Leader of the Council considered that in the light of what had been discussed in the previous item in relation to the County Council’s financial position, it was not possible to make a decision on this scheme today and therefore, proposed deferring a decision until the next Cabinet meeting on 13 December 2016.

Following the Leader’s proposal to defer a decision on this item, other Cabinet Members acknowledged that the County Council had a statutory obligation to provide school places and also the effect on the planning application that a deferral would have. However, it was the view of most Cabinet Members, to reluctantly agree to its deferral to the next Cabinet meeting, when it was hoped that the Local Government Financial Settlement for the Council would be known and would enable a decision to be made.

After debate, the proposal to defer this item was put to the vote, with seven Members of the Cabinet voting for deferment and three Members voting against it.

Therefore, it was:

RESOLVED:

That this item, and the related Part 2 report (item 18) be deferred to the next Cabinet meeting on 13 December 2016, when the reports’ recommendations can be re-considered in the light of the Autumn Statement and the Secretary of State’s announcements on the Local Government Financial Settlement and their impact on the Council’s financial situation.