Issue - meetings

To submit a report by the Interim Head of Democratic Services on the outcome of consultations on the budget proposals.

RESOLVED to take on board the observations received from partners, stakeholders and the general public as part of finalising the 2014-15 budget proposals to the Council.

Submitted - The report of the Interim Head of Democratic Services providing feedback received from partners, stakeholders and the general public in response to the public consultation on budget proposals for 2014-15.

The budget consultation received a total of 234 responses including those from representative groups. The vast majority of responses received to date (205) focused on proposals to reduce the admission age in schools, this included an on-line petition with 1365 signatures and also a petition with 541 signatures.

The Chair requested the Director of Lifelong Learning to brief the members on the latest position in this respect.

The Director of Lifelong Learning stated that there was a need to identify potential savings as part of the 2014-15 budget formulation process to balance statutory requirements against discretionary provision. The LEA was statutorily obliged to provide 10 hours of education to children of 3 years of age. The LEA currently provided grant funding to Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin and to the WPPA for this provision.

The saving proposal involved reducing the school admission age to allow admission of children in the term following their 3^rd birthday and sought to address the element of duplication. It did not entail reducing the provision but rather delivering that provision through different settings. The proposal may also pose a risk to the provision for children who were 2½ years old in as much as under the new proposed arrangements the funding to MYM groups to cater for children of 3 years of age would be reduced thereby raising the question of the viability of the Cylchoedd in being able to sustain provision for children of 2½ years of age only.

As a result of the concerns raised, a meeting with MYM was convened recently at which it was mutually agreed between both parties that the status quo was unsustainable and that both the LEA and MYM were keen to work together to arrive at a common understanding of what needed to be done. A short term plan was discussed along with the merits of a further dialogue to develop a long term plan to ensure the future of an Early Years provision that was both effective and efficient. The short term plan would need to give priority to financial savings and the WPPA would also be part of those discussions. The proposal to reduce the admission age for schools was one the LEA still wished to consider but the Director was uncertain whether it would be practical to implement the change from the September term.

RESOLVED to take on board the observations received from partners, stakeholders and the general public as part of finalising the 2014-15 budget proposals to the Council.