Transcript

and cabinet member for children, families and lifelong learning. There are no fire drills expected and we have no members of the public present. But this meeting is being webcast live, it is open to the public and I do have the right to suspend filming should the need arise. Today's meeting is particularly to look at aspects of the SEND capital programme budget. We have some procedural items first. Item 1 on the agenda, declarations of interest, I confirm I have no declarations to make. Item 2, members questions, there have been no member questions and item 2B, no public questions submitted. So therefore we can move to item 3 which is the substantive item on this agenda. And cabinet member approval is being sought for the use of £19.4 million from the approved SEND capital funding for committed projects at three sites. That is the Fremantle Schools temporary satellite site, Pond Meadows School and Phillips Southcote School. This capital investment is for three projects which have committed under the special educational needs disabilities capital programme. Their viable schemes, locations and planning approval and costs have been confirmed. It will create permanent accommodation for 132 additional state maintained specialist school places and will re-provide 24 existing specialist school places where accommodation is no longer fit for purpose. And this will facilitate the expansion of the county council's state maintained specialist education estate from September 2024 onwards. It's important to note that the expansion of good and outstanding specialist educational provision does ensure that Surrey resident children who have additional needs and disabilities and who require specialist school placements can be educated closer to their homes and remain rooted in their local communities. I know that investing in Fremantle Schools temporary satellite site in Pond Meadows School and in Phillips Southcote Schools capital projects is going to generate a positive impact on outcomes for children with complex additional needs and disabilities as well as improving the council's financial sustainability. All three expansion projects are business critical to ensure that the council can discharge statutory duties under section 3 of the Local Government Act 1999, sections 13 and 14 of the Education Act 1996 and part 27 of section 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014. The confirmed budgets for all these projects are above the threshold for capital program panel's approval and Cabinet's authority to allocate resources from the approved SEND AP capital budget is required on individual projects. An agreement to enter into associated legal documentation for the contract award and project delivery is going to be delegated to myself following CPP's financial scrutiny endorsement in line with full council's approved amended financial regulations. I know that public consultation has been undertaken in line with the Department for Education's statutory processes for making significant changes to maintain schools or an open academy. This and public consultation has also been carried out for each approved project in line with statutory planning consultations and judicial review periods for land and property developments. The recommendations are that I should agree the use of 19.4 million pounds of the total approved existing SEND capital budget of 140.4 million for 2024/5 to 2027/8 for confirming final expansion schemes at Fremantle School, at Pom Meadow School and at Phillip Southcote School. It's recommended that I agree the use of 0.99 million of the 19.4 million for the confirmed refurbishment project budget for Fremantle School's temporary satellite site on the former Ripley Church of England Primary School site. This figure represents no change from previous assumptions and the project's capped budget. It's recommended that I agree the use of 7.34 million of the 19.4 million for the confirmed refurbishment, adaption and new build extension project budget at Pom Meadow School. This figure represents a 1.46 million increase from previous assumptions as per the project's capped budget of 5.88 million. It's also recommended that I agree the use of 11.05 million of the 19.4 million for the confirmed new build extension and hydrotherapy pool project budget at Phillip Southcote School. This figure represents a 0.88 million pound increase from 10.17 million approved by cabinet on the 28th of March 2023. And finally, it's recommended that I should delegate authority to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Director of Land and Property to finalise and approve the terms of all associated legal contracts and agreements to facilitate the recommendations in this paper for project delivery at Fremantle School temporary satellite site at Pond Meadow School and at Phillip Southcote School. And taking into account all the factors set out in the report, I am happy to agree to these recommendations and I so approve. Moving to item 4 of the agenda, which is exclusion of the public, and that under section 100A of the Local Government Act, 19.8.72, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information under the relevant paragraphs of part 1 of schedule 12A of the Act. [BLANK_AUDIO]