Community Use of Schools Policy SUBJECT 3
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DELEGATED DECISION NOTIFICATION REF NO 1 D37174 DECISION MAKER Director of Children's Services AUTHORITY BY Officer Delegation Scheme REFERENCE TO (Executive Functions) – Director SCHEME OF of Children’s Services (a) DELEGATION: 2 Community Use of Schools Policy SUBJECT 3 DECISION 4 COUNCIL EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION DECISION DECISION DECISION (KEY) (MAJOR) (OTHER) 5 NOT SUBJECT TO 5EXEMPT FROM EXEMPT FROM NOT SUBJECT TO CALL IN CALL IN: NO CALL IN: NO CALL IN THIS DECISION SUPERSEDES D37115. The Director of Children's Services agreed the recommendations that:- - the central subsidy on community use of schools should cease from November 2010; - a hardship fund of £50,000 be established; - revised policies and procedures as set out in section 5 of this report (safeguarding to follow at a future meeting). - £10,000 be provided as an additional grant to support supplementary schools. Administration to be carried out by the Head of School Improvement Education Leeds. - the policy set out at section 5 is applied to PFI properties, the lettings of which are administered directly by the Lettings Unit: All wards AFFECTED WARDS YES NO ADVICE SOUGHT Legal Finance Personnel Equal Opportunities Other Please Specify DECLARED OFFICER / N/A MEMBER INTERESTS6 DISPENSATION BY DATE: N/A STANDARDS COMMITTEE 1 This reference number will be assigned by Governance Services and notified to you 2 The relevant paragraph within the decision makers delegated powers should be identified. 3 A brief heading should be inserted 4 Brief details of the decision should be inserted. This note must set out the substance of the decision, options considered and the reason for deciding upon the chosen option, although care must be taken not to disclose any confidential or commercially sensitive information. Guidance on the substance of the note is available from Governance Services 5 For Key and Major decisions only. If exempt from Call In details to be provided in the report. The Call In period expires at 5.00 pm on the 5th working day after publication. Scrutiny Support will notify decision makers of matters called in by no later than 12.00 noon on the 6th day. 6 No officer having a pecuniary interest in any matter should take a decision in relation to that matter. Other interests of a non- disqualifying nature should be recorded here. BACKGROUND detailed paper on full proposals attached PAPERS7 Leeds City Council Budget report 2010/11 HM Government ‘Planning and Funding Extended Services: a guide for schools, Local Authorities and their partner organisations.’ DCSF ‘Funding Extended Services, guidance for local Authorities and schools including academies.’ HM Government ‘Extended Schools, building on experience’. DCSF ‘Extended Services, extra support for you and your children.’ School Budget Shares (Prescribed Purposes) (England) Regulations 2010 Education Act 2002 DCSF Extended Services Toolkit for Governors DCSF Guide to the Law for School Governors 2009, chapters 21 to 23 EXEMPT/ YES NO RULE NO 10.48 ( ) CONFIDENTIAL APPENDIX Yes No Date DETAILS OF Executive Member CONSULTATION Ward Councillors UNDERTAKEN (OTHER Chief Officers Affected REASONS/ ORGANISATIONS Others (Specify) CONSULTED) Sally Threlfall / Simon Darby CONTACT PERSON CONTACT NO: 2474334/2475178 AUTHORISED 9 DATE: SIGNATORY 15th July 2010 (Name: Eleanor Brazil) KEY MAJOR OTHER 10 *First publication (5 day notice) 12/08/2010 Commencement for Call In 20/08/2010 Last date for Call In 27/08/2010 Implementation Date 31/08/2010 * If key decision not on Forward Plan, the reason and need that the decision be taken are that:- This decision was originally on the Forward Plan for May 2010 to be taken by Chief Officer Early Years and Integrated Youth Support Service. Cllr J Blake and the Director of Children’s Services asked that this decision be taken by Executive Board, this was agreed and started the process leading up to the 21st July meeting. The report was presented to CLT at the beginning of July and the advice given following that meeting was that the decision should be taken by the Director of Children’s Services at the decision panel. The first available date for this to happen was 15th July 2010. The decision needed to be taken to give sufficient time for the financial procedures to be put in place for the autumn school term. During this change in the process the decision has slipped off the Forward Plan but the existence of the report/decision required is widely known. 7 A separate Index should be prepared if necessary. ALL DOCUMENTATION UPON WHICH THE DECISION WAS BASED MUST BE RETAINED AND BE READILY ACCESSIBLE SO IT CAN BE PRODUCED SHOULD THE DECISION BE CHALLENGED 8 Relevant Access to Information Procedure Rules to be quoted if there is an exempt appendix 9 The signatory must be duly authorised by the Director to make the decision in accordance with the Department’s scheme. It is not acceptable for the signature to be ‘pp’ for an authorised signatory. For Key Decisions only, the date of the authorised signature signifies that, at the time, the Officer was content that the decision should be taken. However, should representations be received following public availability of reports the signatory will consider the effect which such representations should have upon the final decision. 10 Governance Services will enter these dates Originator: Sally Threlfall Tel: (0113) 2474334 Report of: Chief Officer Early Years and Integrated Youth Support Service Meeting: Director of Children’s Service Delegated Decision Panel Date of meeting: 15th July 2010 SUBJECT: Review of the 1990 Community Use of Schools Policy This Report is for: Discussion Only Information Only Advice/consideration prior 4 4 to taking a Key or Major 5 decision Decision to be taken by: Full Council Corporate Governance and Audit 4 Committee 4 Executive Board Standards Committee 4 4 An Area Committee Member Management Committee 4 4 A Regulatory Committee 4 A Director using delegated authority 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report seeks to confirm the budget decision to remove the central subsidy from all community use of schools from September 2010 and to establish a Community Use policy that sets maximum charges to be made by schools to ‘Recommended’ user groups, with an expectation that schools will consider charging lower subsidised rates where use contributes to their extended services plans, or where local costs are below the centrally determined rates. The report seeks to confirm that a central ‘hardship’ grant fund be established to provide some support to users meeting corporate priorities. Prior to April 1990, when schools commenced operation under conditions of local management, Leeds City Council had actively promoted the community usage of school facilities. In order to maintain such usage after 1st April 1990 a Community Use Policy (1990) was approved. The 1990 policy (reviewed in 1991) set out specific groups of users who could access Leeds school facilities free of charge. Schools were reimbursed from a central budget, totalling approximately £1m, for each instance of community usage. In order to administer the policy a central Lettings Unit was set up. The policy is discretionary. Since 1990 there have been numerous changes in the field of education, the nature of which could not have been foreseen when the structure of the 1990 policy was determined such as: Governing Bodies of Schools have become responsible for the delivery of the extended services core offer and in recent years significant funding has been provided to schools and clusters of schools from the Government to support this; Different categories of school have been established where the power of the Local Authority to direct use does not apply. The Director is asked to approve the following: 1. That the central subsidy on community use of schools should cease from November 2010. 2. That a hardship fund of £50,000 per year be established 3. The revised policies and procedures as set out in section 5 of the report (safeguarding provisions to follow at a future meeting). 4. That £10,000 be provided as an additional grant to support supplementary schools. Administration to be carried out by the Head of School Improvement Education Leeds. 5. That the policy set out at section 5 is applied to PFI schools, the lettings of which are administered directly by the Lettings Unit. 1.0 PURPOSE OF REPORT 1.1 This report seeks to confirm the budget decision to remove the central subsidy from all community use of schools from November 2010 and to establish a Community Use policy that sets maximum charges to be made by schools to recommended user groups, with an expectation that schools will consider charging lower subsidised rates where use contributes to their extended services plans, or where local costs are below the centrally determined rates. This report sets out revised policies and procedures which seek to safeguard the access of 1.2 community groups to school premises whilst at the same time eliminating central funding for those lettings. 1.2 The report seeks to confirm that a central ‘hardship’ grant fund be established to provide some support to users meeting corporate priorities. 2.0 BACKGROUND 2.1 Prior to April 1990, when schools commenced operation under conditions of local management, Leeds City Council had actively promoted the community usage of school st facilities. In order to maintain such usage after 1 April 1990 a Community Use Policy (1990) was approved. The 1990 policy (reviewed in 1991) set out specific groups of users who could access school facilities free of charge. Schools were reimbursed from a central budget, totalling approximately £1m, for each instance of community usage. In order to administer the policy a central Lettings Unit was set up. The policy is discretionary. Since 1990 there have been numerous changes in the field of education, the nature of 2.2 which could not have been foreseen when the structure of the 1990 policy was determined.