Agenda item

RESOLVED (as amended):

1.         That, subject to the agreement of the detailed financial information for the expansion as set out in Part 2 of the agenda, the business case for the provision of 250 additional Catholic secondary places be approved.

2.         That the expenditure of the sums planned in the Medium Term Financial Plan be approved, subject to the provisional Local Government Settlement providing a significant response to the fundamental financial challenges facing the County Council.

3.         That it be noted that the Leader will decide whether the condition in recommendation 2 has been met in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Chief Executive.

Reasons for Decisions:

The proposal supports the Authority’s statutory obligation to provide sufficient school places to meet the needs of the population. Additionally this proposal expands an outstanding secondary school and adds to the diversity of provision within Surrey.

There is demonstrable public benefit to these proposals and strong value for money arguments. Nevertheless the county council is facing unprecedented financial pressures therefore it would not be sensible to agree to additional expenditure without understanding the implications of the provisional local government settlement.

[The decision on this item may be called in by either the Council Overview Board or the Education and Skills Scrutiny Board]

The Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Educational Achievement reminded Cabinet that they had considered this report at the previous Cabinet meeting and deferred the decision. She said that she personally supported the request to approve 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) 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.

She said that Salesian was a popular school, judged outstanding by Ofsted and that the catholic diocese of Arundel and Brighton were fully supportive of the proposed expansion and would contribute to the scheme, thereby reducing the overall cost to the County Council. However, she acknowledged that the provisional local government settlement had not yet been received and requested that Cabinet approved the expansion, subject to the inclusion of the following additional recommendations and reason for decision, which were:

2. That the expenditure of the sums planned in the MTFP be approved, subject to the provisional Local Government Settlement providing a significant response to the fundamental financial challenges facing the County Council.

3. That it be noted that the Leader will decide whether the condition in recommendation 2 has been met in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Chief Executive.

Reason:

There is demonstrable public benefit to these proposals and strong value for money arguments. Nevertheless the county council is facing unprecedented financial pressures therefore it would not be sensible to agree to additional expenditure without understanding the implications of the provisional local government settlement.

The Cabinet Member for Business Services and Resident Experience confirmed her support for the scheme, subject to inclusion of the additional recommendations.

Other Members of the Cabinet team expressed regret about having to include conditions within the recommendations and hoped that this action would not damage the good partnership working with the diocese.

RESOLVED (as amended):

1.    That, subject to the agreement of the detailed financial information for the expansion as set out in Part 2 of the agenda, the business case for the provision of 250 additional Catholic secondary places be approved.

2.    That the expenditure of the sums planned in the MTFP be approved, subject to the provisional Local Government Settlement providing a significant response to the fundamental financial challenges facing the county council.

3.    That it be noted that the Leader will decide whether the condition in recommendation 2 has been met in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Chief Executive.

Reasons for Decisions:

The proposal supports the Authority’s statutory obligation to provide sufficient school places to meet the needs of the population. Additionally this proposal expands an outstanding secondary school and adds to the diversity of provision within Surrey.

There is demonstrable public benefit to these proposals and strong value for money arguments. Nevertheless the county council is facing unprecedented financial pressures therefore it would not be sensible to agree to additional expenditure without understanding the implications of the provisional local government settlement.