Agenda item

There were two Select Committee reports.

The report regarding (CFLL) Additional Budget Allocation was introduced by the Chairman of the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee. It was explained that at its June 2023 meeting, the Select Committee recommended that the Cabinet Member prioritised the restoration of funding for community-based play and youth schemes for children with disabilities to enable the FY 2022/23 capacity to be restored in FY 2024/25, given the widespread feedback that the change had been detrimental to the mental health of parents, carers, children and young people. As part of the budget-setting process it was agreed to allocate £370,000 for this purpose. Although this funding was welcomed it would not restore like for like services and it was important that given the agreement to do this all hours of SEND play and leisure provided in 2022/23 were restored in 2024/25.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning recognised the importance of SEND play and leisure services for families with children with additional needs. Work was being undertaken with Family Voice to review and access and eligibility for these important services. The Cabinet Member would be contacting the Commissioning Team on this but explained that the spend in this area was discretionary and going forward the Council may not be able to spend what it used too. The Chairman of the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee thanked the Cabinet Member for her response and hoped the additional £260,000 could be found to support families.

The Chairman of the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee introduced the Select Committee report regarding the Special Educational Needs And Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Capital Programmes and Specialist Sufficiency to 2031/32 explaining that the Select Committee’s priority and concern in respect of these proposals was to ensure that in an era of tight budgets, the right decisions were being made on this important programme based on evidence. The consequences of not getting it right are significant in terms of SCC’s ongoing revenue spend on independent school places and home to school transport, and critically, to the development, life chances and wellbeing of children with additional needs and disabilities in Surrey. The Chairman was disappointed that the Select Committee did not have the time to scrutinise the item in the normal manner and was not persuaded as to why every aspect of the proposals in the report were time critical. The Select Committee was not assured what was being presented was the best solution, taking account of children and young people's needs and the budget. There had been no cost benefit analysis of the options and taking account of the significance of the decision, it was felt further investigation was needed.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning explained that a briefing note had been sent to Members on 18 April and the item in question had appropriately been placed on the Cabinet Forward Plan in time for a decision. There would have been time for the item to have been scrutinised in a variety of ways. The Cabinet Member hoped the Chairman of the Select Committee found the response to the Select Committee report thorough and detailed. The Leader stated that it was the responsibility of the Select Committee to review Cabinet decisions in whichever manner they see fit. It would be helpful to see a working group being set up to look at this issue in closer detail. The Leader explained that moving forward the needs of children would be changing and the programme would also be updated alongside this.

RESOLVED:

That the Select Committee reports be noted and the recommendations considered.