Agenda item

Report by the Chief Executive.

12.1     Councillor David Elkin, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Resources, Becky Shaw, Chief Executive and Stuart Gallimore, Director of Children’s Services introduced the report by providing an overview of the context within which the current RPPR process is taking place.  

12.2     The Committee then discussed the areas of search before them.   The key discussion points are summarized below: 

·        Integration of Health Services with Children’s Centres.   The Committee asked for more information about the integration of Health Services with Children’s Services.  In particular the Committee wanted to establish whether there are any further significant opportunities for integration which could result in both improved services for the public and further efficiencies.  In response, and for example, the Committee were informed that with regard to services relating to Looked After Children, the respective numbers of staff working within Children’s Services and Public Health are not commensurate: there are far fewer health staff operating in this area.   As a result, the Department believe there is limited scope for further integration which might deliver additional significant efficiencies or improvements in customer service.   However, it is an area of search that is kept under review by the Department.  

·        East Sussex Better Together (ESBT) budget.  The Committee asked for more detail about how the ESBT revenue budget ‘fits’ with the Children’s Services Department revenue budget.  In particular, whether the revenue identified in the Financial Budget Summary for 2017/18 is guaranteed and whether there is any flexibility regarding expenditure (see Appendix 1 attached to the report).   In response the Committee were informed that the monies identified in the Financial Budget Summary represent the current spend, where the primary needs identified for families are health-related.  As a result, these needs are dealt with by health services and spending on this budget is therefore driven by demands within that service area (in accordance with the priorities identified by the local Clinical Commissioning Groups).   

·        Home to School Transport.    The Committee noted that a significant proportion of the total budget for the Children’s Services Department is set aside for Home to School Transport services (nearly £12 million out of an approximate budget of nearly £69 million).   The Committee also noted that the Department have identified further potential savings within this budget for 2018/19.    However, the Committee asked whether, at the same time as meeting its statutory requirements, the Department could identify further savings.  Such savings could then potentially be re-prioritised to help protect other frontline services where there is greater need.  In response the Committee were informed the Home to School Transport budget has already been largely reduced to its minimum statutory requirements.  As a result, it is not possible for the Department to make further significant savings. 

Given this, the Committee agreed a letter should be sent to the Secretary of State for Education.  With supporting information provided by the Department, the letter would ask the Secretary of State to consider the Committee’s request that local government be given more control over how much is spent on home to school transport.   This discretion would then potentially allow the Department to re-direct resources to services where there is greater need.  

12.3     RESOLVED – to: 

1) agree the key areas of interest/lines of enquiry for scrutiny set out in paragraph 12.2.

2) establish a scrutiny RPPR review board which will meet on 7 December 2017. 

3) write to the Secretary of State for Education requesting that consideration be given to the Committee’s proposal that local government be given greater discretion over expenditure on home to school transport.