Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from County Borough Councillor S. Merry and Lead Chief Executive Mr P. Orders.

To receive disclosures of personal interest from Members in accordance with the Code of Conduct

Note:

1.     Members are requested to identify the item number and subject matter that their interest relates to and signify the nature of the personal interest: and

2.   Where Members withdraw from a meeting as a consequence of the disclosure of a prejudicial interest they must notify the Chairman when they leave.

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct there was no declarations made pertaining to the agenda.

To approve as an accurate record, the minutes of the meeting of the Central South Consortium Education Service Joint Committee held on the 25^th September 2019 and 19^th November 2019.

RESOLVED to approve as an accurate record the minutes of the Central South Consortium Joint Education Service Joint Committee meeting held on the 25^th September 2019 and the 19^th November 2019.

2020/21 Budget Setting: timescale for reporting to Joint Committee – verbal update.

The Service Director – Finance and Improvement Services provided Members with a verbal update on the budget setting 2020/21 and requested that the Committee agree to the postponement of the draft budget report until the meeting of the Joint Committee in January 2020.

After considering the information Members RESOLVED to agree to receive the draft budget report in the January 2020 meeting.

To consider the report of the Central South Consortium Managing Director.

The Acting Managing Director presented Members of the Joint Committee with an update on the grants to be received by the Consortium foe the 2019/20 financial year, for which notifications have been received and the methods of allocation of each.

The Acting Managing Director advised the Committee that grant approval letters had been received detailing grants levels for the Central South Consortium. The Acting Managing Director went on to indicate that Directors had agreed to maintain the local authority dis-aggregation of the funding and apply a common formula for the delegation of the local authority funding to schools.

Following discussion, Members RESOLVED to approve the distribution of the grants as detailed in Section 4 of the report.

To consider the grant award of funding for 2019-20

The Central South Joint Service Joint Committee were provided with an updating report regarding the Pupil Development Grant award of funding from the Welsh Government for 2019/20.

Members were informed of the current position, it was explained that the total award of funding for the Pupil Development Grant (previously known as the pupil Deprivation Grant) for the finical year 2019/20 was £31,734,150 and went on to confirm the areas where the grant funding has been allocated and how Welsh Government has calculated the award of funding.

Members were informed that subject to the Joint Committee’s consideration of the use and allocation of the grant funding, this will be released to local authorities for distribution to respective schools.

Members scrutinised the report and RESOLVED to:

·         Note the award of grant funding;

·          Approve the distribution of grant funding in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award; and  

·         Recommend that the Lead Chief Executive and Lead S151 Officer approve the receipt of grant funding.

To receive an update from the Lead Chief Executive

The Lead Director for Central South Consortium presented an updating report on the current position following the ISOS review of the Central South Consortium and the progress to date which are included within the implementation plan.  Members were informed of the progress to date some of which are as follows:

·         Managing Director appointed in November 2019;

·         Consultation on senior challenge advisers is underway;

·         Acting Managing Director and or members of the senior leadership team attend all Local Authority headteacher meetings;

·         Revised Central South Wales Challenge model communicated to schools; and

·         Initial review of governance models.

Members were also updated on the next steps which include:

·         Consult and agree a revised governance model;

·         Establish a senior leadership structure;

·         Review and consult on revised senior challenge adviser & challenge adviser models;

·         Publish the revised communications strategy; and

·         Review and amend presentation of funding models and monitoring reports.

Members discussed the report in detail and RESLOVED to

·         Accept the detailed implementation plan to remodel the current Consortium approach;

·         Agree that the ISOS report attached at appendix B is shared with Cabinets of the five Local Authorities to the Consortium before the end of February 2020, and the five councils consider and restate their commitment to a joint approach to school improvement through the Consortium.

·         Agree that a report is presented to the next Joint Committee meeting that sets out an indicative three year budget for the Consortium to make longer term planning easier.

To consider passing the under- mentioned resolution:

“ That press and public be excluded from the meeting under Section 100A  of the  Local Government Act 1972 (as amended ) for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED – that the press and public be excluded from the meeting under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act, 1972 (as amended) for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

To consider the report of the Managing Director of the Central South Consortium

Members of the Central South Consortium Joint Education Service Joint Committee were presented with Central South Consortium Risk Register as at December 2019.

After discussion and deliberation Members RESOLVED to approve the recommendations within the report.