The Warwickshire County Council Cabinet met on 10 April 2025, and among other things, endorsed changes to contract standing orders, approved additions to the education capital programme, and reviewed service estimates for the coming financial year. Councillor Isobel Seccombe OBE, Leader of the Council, chaired the meeting held in Committee Room 2, Shire Hall.

Amendments to Contract Standing Orders

The Cabinet endorsed the changes to the Contract Standing Orders (CSOs) and recommended them to the full council for approval. These amendments, detailed in Appendix 1, are necessary to align with the new Procurement Act 2023 and the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. Councillor Yousef Dahmash, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, presented the report.

The Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, brings significant changes to public procurement rules, including:

• New procurement procedures for more agile procurement.
• A Central Digital Platform for suppliers to find opportunities.
• Increased transparency through more published notices.
• Changes to the standstill process.
• New requirements for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on certain contracts.
• New contract management requirements.
• A central debarment list for excluded suppliers.
• Adherence to the National Procurement Policy Statement.

The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, effective from 1 January 2024, apply to the procurement of specific healthcare and public health services.

The report noted that a lot of work had been undertaken to implement these changes, including revising documentation and developing staff guidance. Training has been provided to relevant council staff, with further training on the CSOs planned after full council approval.

The report clarified that the changes do not alter the balance between member and officer decision-making, as no amendments were made to the thresholds requiring member authority to start a procurement. The changes ensure consistency with the new procurement legislation, with increased emphasis on seeking advice from procurement, contract management, and legal teams.

Additions to the Education Capital Programme 2024/25

The Cabinet approved additions to the Education Capital Programme 2024/25, as detailed in the report presented by Councillor Kam Kaur, Portfolio Holder for Education, and Councillor Peter Butlin, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property. These additions aim to provide specialist resourced provision and capital works across Warwickshire schools.

The approved additions include:

1. Establishment of specialist resourced provision at Glendale Infant School in Nuneaton, with an allocation of £0.050 million from the High Needs Provision Capital Allocation.
2. Establishment of specialist resourced provision at Nursery Hill Primary School in Nuneaton, with an allocation of £0.096 million from the High Needs Provision Capital Allocation.
3. Capital works at Nicholas Chamberlaine School in Bedworth, with an allocation of £0.127 million from the High Needs Provision Capital Allocation.
4. A scheme at Bilton CofE Junior School in Rugby, with an allocation of £1.105 million funded by developer contributions.
5. A scheme at Temple Herdewyke Primary School in Temple Herdewyke, with an allocation of £0.253 million funded by developer contributions.
6. Continuation of the scheme at Warton Nethersole CofE Primary School in Warton, with an allocation of £0.691 million funded by developer contributions and Basic Need Funding.

The Executive Director for Children and Young People, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property, is authorised to invite tenders and enter into contracts for these schemes.

The report noted that Warwickshire's child-age population increased by almost 7% between 2011 and 2021, requiring significant investment in education capital. The number of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) has also increased annually by 9% over the past 5 years. The council is aiming to increase specialist resourced provision places from just over 200 to over 530 by 2028 as part of the Delivering Better Value (DBV) programme.

Service Estimates 2025-26

The Cabinet approved the detailed revenue budget, savings plan, and capital programme for each of the Authority’s services, as outlined in Appendices A to N. Councillor Peter Butlin, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property, presented the report.

The planned net revenue budget for 2025/26 is £420.658 million, after £79.166 million in budget reductions. The planned capital spend is £272.064 million, including £9.141 million from the Capital Investment Fund and £40.366 million for capital maintenance.

The Cabinet also approved adjustments to service revenue budgets following the realignment of budgets within and between directorates since the budget was set on 6 February 2025, as outlined in Section 3 and Appendix O.

The report noted that Public Health savings have been amended by £0.289 million due to a greater than anticipated Public Health Grant, and libraries savings have been amended by £0.150 million due to additional Business Rates funding.

The report highlighted significant financial pressures experienced during 2024/25, particularly affecting Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Home to School Transport, Children and Families, and Social Care and Support. It also noted that Dedicated Schools Grant High Needs Block funding is a growing risk to the council's financial sustainability.

The report stated that spending on services funded from council tax, business rates, and reserves in 2025/26 is planned to be £515.4 million, a net figure that reflects £342.9 million of income. The planned gross revenue expenditure of the Authority on services in 2025/26 is £858.4 million, compared to £794.4 million in 2024/25. The main reason for the increase is inflation and additional spending pressures allocated to services in the February budget, reflecting increased demand.