This meeting of the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning approved the allocation of £5.3 million from the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Capital Funding for Brooklands College's post-16 SEND unit. This investment will support the construction of a new 60-place unit for autistic students aged 16-19. The decision aims to ensure that Surrey students with additional needs can be educated closer to home and included in their local communities.

Brooklands College SEND Capital Programme

The main item under consideration was the SEND Capital Programme at Brooklands College for the post-16 SEND unit. Councillor Clare Curran, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, was asked to approve the use of £5.3 million from the council's approved SEND Capital funding for the college's mainstream post-16 SEND unit.

This funding, already committed under the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Capital Programme, will go towards a construction project delivered by Brooklands College Trust under a self-delivery agreement with the council. According to the report pack, the project aims to create a new 60-place post-16 mainstream SEND unit for autistic students aged 16-19, comprising 30 additional places and 30 re-provided places for students already in temporary accommodation since September 2023.

Councillor Curran stated that the council has a SEND Capital budget allocation of £143.6 million, which was reaffirmed by the cabinet in June 2024 and by the full council's budget setting meeting in February 2025. She also noted that the Capital Programme Panel met in February 2025 and their decision provides assurance of consistency with the council's relevant and appropriate strategies.

The report presented to the cabinet member outlined the business case for the project, and Councillor Curran confirmed that public consultation was undertaken in line with the Department for Education's policy for general further education colleges, as well as statutory planning consultations and the judicial review period for land and property developments.

The official recommendation was for Councillor Curran to:

1. Agree to the use of £5.3 million from the £143.6 million budget for the confirmed final scheme at Brooklands College.
2. Agree to enter into any associated legal agreements to facilitate the contract award and the project delivery, which is being managed by Brooklands College Trust under a self-delivery agreement.

Councillor Curran approved the recommendation, stating:

I'm happy so to approve that this morning.

The report supporting the recommendation, noted that the reasons for the recommendations were:

• The SEND Capital budget allocation of £143.6m for 2024/25 to 2027/28 was reaffirmed by Surrey County Council’s Cabinet on 25 June 2024 and Full Council Budget setting in February 2025.
• In June 2024 Surrey County Council’s Cabinet approved the delegation of authority to allocate resources from the approved SEND capital budget required for individual committed construction projects to the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, following Capital Programme Panel’s (CPP) financial scrutiny and endorsement. This is in line with Full Council approved amended Financial Regulations from March 2023.
• Investing in Brooklands College’s capital project will generate a positive impact on outcomes for students with complex additional needs and disabilities, as well as improving the Council’s financial sustainability.
• The committed development project is business critical to ensure Surrey County Council (the Council) discharges its statutory duties under Section 3 of the Local Government Act 1999, Sections 13 and 14 of the Education Act 1996 and Part 27 Section 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
• The confirmed budget for the project and Surrey County Council’s finite investment is above the threshold for Capital Programme Panel (CPP) approval. Cabinet’s delegated authority to allocate resources from the approved SEND Capital budget allocation is required for individual projects, and agreement to enter any associated legal documentation to facilitate the contract award and project delivery is assigned to the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, following CPP’s financial scrutiny and endorsement on Tuesday 11 February 2025. This is in line with Full Council approved amended Financial Regulations from March 2023.
• To that end, agreement is sought to transfer defined resources to Brooklands College Trust, so that the contract is placed in late July for a September 2025 commencement and facilitate target completion timescales 2026.

The report also noted that public consultation was undertaken in line with Department for Education Policy for General Further Education Colleges in 2022/23, and that public consultation has also been carried out for the project in line with statutory Planning Consultations and Judicial Review periods for Land and Property developments.