Here is a summary of the items scheduled for discussion at the Blaenau Gwent Council Cabinet meeting on 13th October 2025. The agenda includes budget monitoring reports, a review of the home to school transport policy, and a play sufficiency assessment. Also scheduled for discussion are the cabinet's forward work programme, and guidance on mobile phone use in schools.

Budget Monitoring

The cabinet will be asked to consider several reports relating to the council's financial position.

Revenue Budget Monitoring

The Revenue Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 – Provisional Outturn report will be presented to provide an overview of the revenue outturn position across all portfolios for the 2024/2025 financial year, and its impact on the council's reserves.

According to the report, the overall provisional outturn across all portfolios for 2024/2025 is a favourable variance of £2.589m before reserves adjustments. This is mainly due to:

• £1.2m in grant funding to support additional NJC pay pressures.
• £1.012m Welsh Government supplementary cost pressure grant funding awarded in March 2025.

Budget virements¹ exceeding £250,000 between portfolios require cabinet approval. A virement of £0.600m has been actioned, subject to cabinet approval, from the contingency budget within the Corporate Services Portfolio to the Education Portfolio to support the financial stability of the Trust.

The report also notes that schools are receiving support to manage their financial positions and are currently developing Deficit Recovery Plans to address and reduce their budget shortfalls over the short to medium term. An additional £4.890m will be allocated to schools, phased across 2025/26 and 2026/27, to mitigate prior year pressures related to pay and utility costs.

The report also provides an update on the Bridging the Gap proposals for 2024/2025. The achievement against this target is £6.234m, resulting in a shortfall of £0.023m.

Capital Budget Monitoring

The Capital Report 2024-25 Provisional Outturn will provide an overview of each portfolio's provisional capital expenditure against funding approvals for the 2024/2025 financial year.

The report notes that the agreed capital programme is approximately £76.1m, funded by Welsh Government grant (£45.7m), other grant funding (£14.4m) and council resources (£16m). Expenditure of £37.5m was incurred on capital projects during 2024/25.

The report highlights two significant variances:

• An overspend of £9,120 relating to costs of unexpected survey and material costs for The Company Shop, which will be financed through capital contingencies.
• An underspend of £53,734 against a total grant approval of £211,000 for 20mph zones. The Welsh Government have been made aware of the underspend and the remaining funding will not be drawn down.

The report also provides an update on the Children's Residential Homes funding position, noting that additional funding approval from Welsh Government of £75,324 has been secured, with the council agreeing a budget of £75,000 for 2025/26 as part of the updated Capital Programme 2025/26 to 2029/30.

The report also notes that £11.1m of capital slippage has been approved into the 2025/26 financial year to support ongoing schemes, with the remaining £0.2m released to the capital contingency for future reallocation.

Revenue Budget Monitoring 2025/2026

The Revenue Budget Monitoring 2025/2026 – Forecast Outturn to 31 March 2026 report will provide members with the forecast financial outturn position across all portfolios for the financial year 2025/2026, as forecast at 30th June 2025.

According to the report, the overall forecast outturn across all portfolios as at 30 June 2025, is an adverse variance of £0.065m before expected transfers to and from reserves. The adverse variance increases to £0.192m after the net transfers to specific reserves. This is mainly due to:

• A cost pressure of £0.151m across all portfolios resulting from the Local Government Employers pay agreement for 2025/2026, which confirms a 3.2% increase across all NJC and Chief Officer pay scales. The approved budget for 2025/26 had assumed a 3% pay award.
• A funding shortfall of £0.325m resulting from changes to Employer National Insurance (NI) Contributions introduced by UK Government. A grant has been received from Welsh Government of £2.1m to partially offset this.

Capital Budget Monitoring 2025/2026

The Capital Budget Monitoring, Forecast for 2025/2026 Financial Year report will provide members with an overview of each portfolio's actual and forecast capital expenditure against funding approvals for the 2025/2026 financial year, as at 30th June 2025.

The report notes that the agreed Capital Programme totals approximately £64.8 million, funded through Welsh Government grant (£24.5 million), other grant funding (£1.9 million) and council resources (£38.4 million, including slippage from 2024/2025). It is forecast that £38.1 million will be spent on capital projects during the financial year 2025/26.

Home to School and Post 16 Transport Policy

The Home to School and Post 16 Transport Policy Review 2026 - 2027 report will seek approval for the revised policy, which is required to be adopted and published by 1st October 2025.

According to the report, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council is more generous in respect of home to school transport entitlement than any other Local Authority in Wales and the Welsh Government statutory limits. The council also offers a non-statutory travel grant for Post 16 learners of £150.

The report notes that the policy has been reviewed by the Education Transport and Inclusion teams, and that the changes and additions are detailed in red within the appended policy document. A summary of the changes/additions is as follows:

• The date has been amended to reflect the academic year to which the policy applies.
• The term ALN pupil has been replaced with pupil with a LA IDP throughout the document.
• Section 4 has been updated to clarify the qualifying criteria for pupils with ALN.
• Section 5 Transportation of Children Looked After (CLA) has been updated to clarify the position in regard the process if transport is unable to be provided to pupils in respite accommodation.
• Section 7.7 'Travel Assistance Reimbursement' has been updated to include the arrangements if the council is able to offer a personal transport budget to those pupils where the council has been unable to secure an external transport provider.
• Section 7.14 has been updated to include the offer of Concessionary Travel on a temporary basis.
• Section 8 has been updated to include the statement on Post 16 transport.

The report also notes that the council's Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/2027 to 2029/2030 indicates a budget gap of £12m over the 4-year period, with an estimated funding gap of £5.3m in 2026/2027. It is therefore proposed to undertake a public consultation to revert to statutory distances in the Autumn/Spring term.

Play Sufficiency Assessment 2025

The Play Sufficiency Assessment 2025 report will seek approval for the assessment, executive summary and action plan prior to final submission to Welsh Government.

According to the report, the Welsh Government places great value on play and its importance in the lives of children in our society. The report notes that children's right to play is enshrined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The report notes that the assessment requires nine matter areas are considered, these are:

• Matter A: Population
• Matter B: Providing for Diverse Needs
• Matter C: Space available for children to play
• Matter D: Supervised provision
• Matter E: Charges for play provision
• Matter F: Access to space/provision
• Matter G: Securing and Developing the play workforce
• Matter H: Community engagement and participation
• Matter I: Play within all relevant policy and implementation agendas

The report also notes that a Play Action Plan has been created to address some of the gaps identified in the assessment process and contains 28 different actions covering all of the themes.

Mobile Phone/Smart Device Guidance in Schools

The Local Authority Guidance to be Shared with All School Governing Bodies in Respect of the Use of Mobile Phone/Smart Devices in School report will seek approval from cabinet for guidance to be shared with all governing bodies/schools across Blaenau Gwent to support the ban of mobile phones/smart devices (such as watches) being used in school, with the exception of extenuating circumstances such as medical or accessibility reasons. It is proposed that the guidance will be issued to be implemented immediately after October half term 2025.

According to the report, the decision to develop mobile phone and digital device guidance for all Blaenau Gwent schools is in response to growing research and evidence around the negative impact that mobiles and digital devices are having on pupil wellbeing, behaviour, and pupil outcomes.

The report notes that the LA mobile phone/digital devices guidance to schools will offer autonomy for schools to develop their own approach to mobile phone/digital device usage; whilst strongly recommending:

• Mobile phones/digital devices to be switched off and stored in pupil bags or a school storage system all day (including during unstructured times) with sanctions for non-compliance. Schools will determine their own sanctions in line with the school behaviour policy.
• Each school to determine appropriate use of mobile phones/digital devices for adults in the school, including staff and volunteers with a strong recommendation that adults use of devices should support the expectations for children and young people's usage.
• This guidance to schools also emphasises the need for reasonable adjustments and exceptions, particularly for pupils who require the use of mobile phones or digital devices for medical or accessibility purposes.
• A key aspect of policy implementation is to ensure clear procedures are in place and schools are strongly encouraged to engage with stakeholders such as pupils, parents/carers and staff to ensure the school policy on mobile phones/digital devices is well communicated and understood. A letter will be provided to all schools for sharing with parents/carers to demonstrate the LA approach and support to schools in this important matter.

Forward Work Programme

The Forward Work Programme – 24th November 2025 report will present the Cabinet Forward Work Programme for the meeting on 24th November 2025.

The report notes that the Cabinet Work Programme is a key aspect of the Council's planning and governance arrangements and supports the requirements of the Constitution. The topics set out in the Work Programme link to the strategic work of the Council as identified by the Council's Corporate Plan 2022-2027².

The following items are scheduled for the 24th November meeting:

• Revenue Budget Monitoring 2025/26 (Forecast)
• Capital Expenditure 2025/26 (Forecast)
• Safe Reduction of Children Looked After Strategy
• Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme
• Industrial Unit Portfolio
• Blueprint for Growth
• Flood Management Task Group Performance

Conferences, Courses, Events and Invitations

The Conferences, Courses, Events and Invitations report will seek approval for attendance of the Cabinet Member Adults & Communities on the Leadership Programme 2025/26.