Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Karl Battersby, Corporate Director for Environment.

Resolved –

That the public Minutes of the meeting held on 12 December 2023, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and confirmed by the Chairman as a correct record.

There were no declarations of interest.

Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to Melanie Carr of Democratic and Scrutiny Services and supplied the text (contact details below) by midday on Thursday 4 January 2024, three working days before the day of the meeting.  Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item.  Members of the public who have given notice will be invited to speak:

·            at this point in the meeting if their questions/statements relate to matters which are not otherwise on the Agenda (subject to an overall time limit of 30 minutes);

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There were no public questions or statements.

Recommendations - The Executive are asked to approve:

i) The new delivery model for the sport and active wellbeing service as set out in section 4 of the report.

ii) The phased transition over the next 4 years to a single in house management model for the service. As part of this that the Selby services transfer to the in house service from September 2024 when the current contract with IHL ends.

iii) The undertaking of a Leisure Investment Strategy as set out in the report.

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director for Community Development seeking support for the key findings from the first phase of the Strategic Leisure Review in terms of the proposed new delivery model and proposals for the future management arrangements of the service.

Councillor Simon Myers introduced the report detailing the proposed new bespoke delivery model for the sport and active wellbeing service, and drew attention to:

·          The importance of leisure and sports activities to residents’ wellbeing

·          The pressures on Council funding in part as a result of residents’ physical inactivity, and the need to encourage those who would not usually participate in leisure activities.

·          The refreshed focus on sport and active wellbeing and addressing inequalities

·          The great natural assets across North Yorkshire that needed to be better utilised as part of the new in-house offer.

·          Other potential benefits arising from delivering active wellbeing services in-house, which included longer term savings and the provision of innovative digitally provided activities

·          The amazing volunteer led organisations currently providing sports and leisure activities

·          The need for continued collaborative working with community support groups and rural community groups

Jo Ireland, Assistant Director for Culture, Leisure, Archives & Libraries confirmed the scope for the second phase of the Strategic Leisure Review would be to develop a Leisure Investment Strategy, as detailed in the report.

Members welcomed the proposals for the future arrangements for the service and thanked the Member Working Group on their work on the review and officers for the detailed report.

In response to a concern raised by Councillor Greg White, Cllr Simon Myers confirmed the proposed new model would deliver a light touch approach to ensure that local needs were met and appropriate variability to address the challenges faced by individual communities.

Resolved – That the following be approved:

i)       The new delivery model for the sport and active wellbeing service as set out in section 4 of the report

ii)    The phased transition over the next 4 years to a single in house management model for the service, including transferring the Selby services to the in house service from September 2024 when the current contract with IHL ends.

iii)   The undertaking of a Leisure Investment Strategy as set out in the report.

Recommendations - The Executive is asked to note the contents of this report, and agree that:

a.      The Council applies a Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) of +0.5% in the calculation of mainstream school budgets for the 2024/25 financial year.

b.      The Council uses age weighted pupil units (AWPU) as the methodology for the allocation to school budgets of any surplus funding available within the Schools Block DSG after the calculation of the school funding formula using National Funding Formula (NFF) values for the 2024/25 financial year

c.      The Council uses a higher funding gains cap and higher scaling back percentage for managing the recovery of any funding shortfall on the Schools Block DSG after the calculation of the school funding formula using NFF values for the 2024/25 financial year. In the event of any funding shortfall being too significant to manage through the use of the capping and scaling mechanism, the Corporate Director – Resources and the Corporate Director – Children & Young People’s Service, in consultation with the Chair of the Schools Forum, will determine a school funding methodology that delivers affordability within the 2024/25 Schools Block DSG and associated reserves.

d.      The Council implements the changes, as detailed in section 2.2 of this report,

       to the notional Special Educational Needs (SEN) budget local funding formula calculation for the 2024/25 financial year to reflect the funding requirements with North Yorkshire and comply with the funding formula validation requirements.

e.      The Council includes an exceptional circumstance lump sum of £50,000 for very small sparse secondary schools (which would otherwise be unable to attract sufficient funding to remain viable) in the 2024/25 North Yorkshire school funding formula. The estimated £50k additional funding requirement to be funded from the DSG Schools Block Reserve.

f.       The Council transfers 0.5% of funding from the Schools Block Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to the High Needs Block.

g.      The Council applies MFG funding protection of 0.5% for special schools for the 2024/25 financial year.

h.      The Council applies an increase of +1.9% to the Banded Funding allocations (top up/ ‘element 3’ allocations) received by mainstream and special schools and academies for the 2024/25 financial year.

i.       The Council applies an increase of +1.9% to the Banded Funding allocations (top up / element 3 allocations) received by pupil referral units and alternative provision settings for the 2024/25 financial year.

j.       The Council applies an increase of +1.9% to the factor elements within the Special school contextual funding for the 2024/25 financial year.

k.      The application of a +1.9% increase to the 2023/24 rate for residential special school placements for the 2024/25 financial year.

l.       The Council will continue to push for a fairer and more equitable funding settlement for schools in North Yorkshire. We will also continue to lobby for a fairer settlement of High Needs resources

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director for Children & Young People’s Service presenting proposals for mainstream school and special school funding for 2024/25, as required by guidance issued by the Department for Education (DfE).

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson introduced the detailed report and drew attention to the county-wide consultation undertaken, and the recommendations at paragraph 11 of the report.  She also thanked officers for their work on the complex report.

Councillor Janet Sanderson acknowledged the complexity of the report contents and as Members had no questions and all voted in favour of the recommendations, it was 

Resolved – That

a.      A Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) of +0.5% be applied in the calculation of mainstream school budgets for the 2024/25 financial year.

b.      Age weighted pupil units (AWPU) be used as the methodology for the allocation to school budgets of any surplus funding available within the Schools Block DSG, after the calculation of the school funding formula using National Funding Formula (NFF) values for the 2024/25 financial year

c.      A higher funding gains cap and higher scaling back percentage be used for managing the recovery of any funding shortfall on the Schools Block DSG after the calculation of the school funding formula using NFF values for the 2024/25 financial year. In the event of any funding shortfall being too significant to manage through the use of the capping and scaling mechanism, the determination of a school funding methodology that delivers affordability within the 2024/25 Schools Block DSG and associated reserves to be delegate to the Corporate Director – Resources and the Corporate Director – Children & Young People’s Service, in consultation with the Chair of the Schools Forum.

d.      The changes to the notional Special Educational Needs (SEN) budget local funding formula calculation for the 2024/25 financial year as detailed in section 2.2 of the report be implemented, to reflect the funding requirements with North Yorkshire and comply with the funding formula validation requirements

e.      An exceptional circumstance lump sum of £50,000 be included in the 2024/25 North Yorkshire school funding formula for very small sparse secondary schools (which would otherwise be unable to attract sufficient funding to remain viable). The estimated £50k additional funding requirement to be funded from the DSG Schools Block Reserve.

f.       0.5% of funding be transferred from the Schools Block Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to the High Needs Block.

g.      MFG funding protection of 0.5% for special schools be applied for the 2024/25 financial year.

h.      An increase of +1.9% be applied to the Banded Funding allocations (top up/ ‘element 3’ allocations) received by mainstream and special schools and academies for the 2024/25 financial year.

i.       An increase of +1.9% be applied to the Banded Funding allocations (top up / element 3 allocations) received by pupil referral units and alternative provision settings for the 2024/25 financial year.

j.       An increase of +1.9% be applied to the factor elements within the Special school contextual funding for the 2024/25 financial year.

k.      A +1.9% increase be applied to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 370.

Considered –

The Forward Plan for the period 18 December 2023 to 31 December 2024 was presented.

Resolved -   That the Forward Plan be noted.