Agenda item

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

The report of the Director of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer incorporating the Annual Report and Accounts for the Anglesey Further Education Trust for the year 2019/20 as attached at Appendix A was presented for the Executive’s consideration and approval.

Councillor Robin Williams, Portfolio Member for Finance presented the Annual Report and Accounts and said that he was very pleased to be able to report about the progress made over the course of the year to which the report refers in ensuring greater utilisation of the Fund for the charitable purposes for which it was intended which follows a request made by the Executive in April, 2019 that the structure of the Trust be reviewed to this end. As a result, a one off allocation of £55k for each secondary school (from the Anglesey Further Education ⅓ Fund) was approved by the Executive in October, 2019 to fund the cost of Learning Coaches to provide support for senior pupils undertaking GCSE and A level courses which is especially pertinent given what has transpired in terms of the impact of Covid-19 on schools and learning. The Executive also resolved to allocate an additional £8,000 per secondary school (from the  Anglesey Further Education ⅔ Fund) to provide grants to assist financially disadvantaged students to obtain places at colleges and universities and/or help with the purchase of books and equipment required to attend the courses in the first year. However, because of the pandemic, schools were not in a position to invite applications during the 2019/20 summer term and consequently, no grants were awarded. Schools are therefore asked to remind pupils on their return of the availability of the grant and to actively encourage applications. In addition, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol is also administering a scholarship scheme for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake University and College courses through the medium of Welsh.  The Portfolio Member for Finance summarised that although further work needs to be done a solid start has been made in terms of utilising the fund and giving financial assistance to those for whom it was intended.

The Director of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer referred to what the accounts represent in terms of  the composition of the Anglesey Further Education Trust, the source of its income and the purpose of the three funds which it incorporates. He confirmed that a plan was put in place with the secondary schools to administer the award of the grants to pupils but that this process was disrupted by the pandemic with the hope now being that as restrictions are eased, schools will be able to distribute and use more of the funding in the coming summer term. The Section 151 Officer added that he was able to report that Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol  has confirmed that 4 students will be receiving a grant of £500 in September, 2021 and that this expenditure will be reflected in the 2020/21 accounts. The report outlines the financial performance of the Trust for the year - total funds as at 31 March, 2020 were £3,152,966 with approximately £2.5m invested in the agricultural estate and the remainder in investments and/or cash deposits.

Councillor R. Meirion Jones, Portfolio Member for Education, Libraries, Culture and Youth expressed his gratitude both for the work and time expended on restructuring the Fund to enable its charitable purposes to be better fulfilled and thereby realise the educational benefits for pupils, and for the progress made subsequently. He was particularly grateful on behalf of Anglesey’s schools and their pupils and he asked the Director of Education, Skills and Young People to remind schools about the availability of the grant funding. The latter confirmed that that is the intention.

It was resolved to approve the Annual Report and Accounts for the Anglesey Further Education Trust for the year 2019/20.