Issue - meetings

To submit a report by the Head of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer.

It was RESOLVED :-

·           To agree, in principle, to fund any pay protection costs that arise from the restructuring of the management of the Council’s Secondary Schools from central budgets;

·           That the pay protection is funded in 2017/18 from the Redundancy Contingency budget but, if this is insufficient, from the Council’s general balances;

·           That each school that requires support in meeting any pay protection costs must submit a formal plan detailing the proposed changes, pay protection costs and revenue savings to be achieved.  The plan must be in line with the principles set out in the restructure proposal already drafter and must be agreed with the Head of Learning and the Head of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer;

·           That the release of funding for individual schools is delegated to the Portfolio Holder (Finance) and the Portfolio Holder (Education) subject to the submission of a satisfactory business case by the School concerned;

·           The Council reserves the right to recover a proportion of funding allocated towards the cost of pay protection, should a school that has received funding through this decision decide to restructure again in the future e.g. as a result of increasing pupil numbers.

The report of the Head of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer was presented with regard to the funding of the restructuring costs within secondary schools.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance reported that the pupil population in four out of the five of the Council’s Secondary Schools has fallen over recent years. A proposal has been drawn up by one of the Headteachers to restructure the management of the school and would reduce the allowances which are paid to teachers who have undertaken additional responsibilities.  He noted that the teachers’ conditions of service require that pay protection will be required for a three year period. 

It was RESOLVED :-

·           To agree, in principle, to fund any pay protection costs that arise from the restructuring of the management of the Council’s Secondary Schools from central budgets;

·           That the pay protection is funded in 2017/18 from the Redundancy Contingency budget but, if this is insufficient, from the Council’s general balances;

·           That each school that requires support in meeting any pay protection costs must submit a formal plan detailing the proposed changes, pay protection costs and revenue savings to be achieved.  The plan must be in line with the principles set out in the restructure proposal already drafter and must be agreed with the Head of Learning and the Head of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer;

·           That the release of funding for individual schools is delegated to the Portfolio Holder (Finance) and the Portfolio Holder (Education) subject to the submission of a satisfactory business case by the School concerned;

·           The Council reserves the right to recover a proportion of funding allocated towards the cost of pay protection, should a school that has received funding through this decision decide to restructure again in the future e.g. as a result of increasing pupil numbers.