Decision Maker: Executive Member for Education, Learning & Skills
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: No
To approve consultation on a revised policy
for developer contributions for education.
*PLEASE NOTE This decision was originally
published on or near the date of the decision and so call in no
longer applies. It has been re-published as part of the change in
committee management system that we use.*
Local authorities can seek to negotiate a contribution from
developers towards the cost of meeting infrastructure necessary to
support their development. For education this means asking for a
contribution towards the cost of extending or reconfiguring an
existing school or setting, or building a new one. In the light of
changes to legislation and updated government guidance, it is
proposed to consult on a new County Council policy for developer
contributions for education. This will include the following
proposals:
• Requesting S106 contributions for education across the
County;
• Using our existing method for assessing whether a primary or
secondary education contribution is required;
• Following DfE’s preferred cost per place (using
national average costs published in DfE School Place
Scorecards);
• Lowering the thresholds for seeking primary education
contributions to 10 houses and for secondary education
contributions to 25 houses;
• Introducing contributions for Special Educational Needs and
Disabilities (SEND) and Early Years for larger developments;
• Recommending the use of model clauses in Section 106
agreements for education contributions and for new education
sites.
Consultation responses received will be included in a report to the
County Council’s Executive on 21 April, who would decide
whether to approve the draft policy for implementation from 1 May
2020.
Publication date: 15/04/2021
Date of decision: 11/02/2020