Council decisions

Summary DPR's for March 2018

The Library Service uses a national framework to purchase the majority of stock. To supplement this, individual contracts are held with a range of other suppliers for materials that are not available on this framework.  Market engagement has been undertaken to confirm the position with regard to supply.  This has concluded that a number of suppliers are sole providers of materials through licence and as such, under paragraph 9.1 of the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules (CPRs), require a single tender action which has been approved by the Commercial and Customer Service Director.  The table in Appendix 1 sets out the amount of spend and the rationale for the use of each supplier via a single tender action.

This report seeks permission to enter into a contract with UK Energy Partners Ltd (working in Partnership with Net Zero Buildings Ltd) to provide a double classroom pre-school modular building for Broadfields Primary School, a double classroom pre-school modular building for The Orion Primary School and to replace the existing Nursery building at Brookland Infant School.

This report awards a framework agreement for the provision of specialist 1:1 mentoring support services for a period of an initial one year term with the option to extend for a further two separate years, commencing from 1^st April 2017 to the value of up to £140,000 per annum, with a total extension value of up to £420,000.

The report describes the detailed assumptions underpinning the proposals for allocating budgets to schools and early years providers in 2017/18.  These assumptions are reflected in the completed Authority Proforma Tool (the APT) which was submitted to the Department for Education by the deadline of 20th January 2017. The report seeks approval for the revised submission dated 13 February 2017.

This is a list of decisions taken under delegated powers in the month of January  2017.

On the 4^th April 2016, the Council approved Barnet’s Future Library Strategy and within this strategy, four libraries (East Barnet, South Friern, Mill Hill and Childs Hill) will become community run Partnership Libraries from the 1^st April 2017.  These libraries will continue to form part of the Barnet library network and agreements with partner organisations will last for 10 years. The successful partners will receive an annual enabling grant to support the operation of the service, alongside volunteers which they will recruit from the local community. The council has now concluded the process to identify partner organisations and has identified partner organisations for each of the four Partnership Libraries. A period of transition will now commence during which the preferred partner organisations will be supported to refine and develop their business plans and prepare to operate the library.

Oak Lodge Special  School, a Community School, has been approved by the Secretary of State to convert to an Academy as part of a multi-academy trust (Barnet Special Education Trust). As part of the conversion process, the Council is required to grant a lease of the land and buildings used by Oak Lodge Special School to the Academy Trust in the terms of the model long term Department for Education Academy Lease and this report sets out the main terms.

The Council, the Governing Body of the School, and the Academy Trust are also required to execute a Commercial Transfer Agreement, which includes information relating to: (i) any employees of the Council or the Governing Body who are assigned to the School and who will transfer from the employment of the Governing Body or the Local Authority to the new Academy Trust; and (ii) assets and contracts which will transfer from the Local Authority or the Governing Body to the new Academy Trust, together with other rights and obligations of the Council or the Governing Body.

Authority to commission workforce learning and development based on systemic principles, up to the value of £150,000 in 2016-17 and over the contract lifetime, for the children’s social care workforce and relevant practitioners.

This is a list of decisions taken under delegated powers in the month of November 2016.

This report seeks approval to award a single contract to Middlesex University to undertake a research project about different levels of take up of services for children, young people and families from different communities in Barnet.

This is a summary of decisions taken under delegated officer powers for the month of October 2016.

Committee to receive a paper on Early Years funding from 2017/18.

The Strategic Lead, Children and Young People, and the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People, introduced the report, which related to Early Years funding.

During discussion of the item, the Chairman moved a motion to alter the wording of recommendations 1 and 2 so that they include the wording ‘in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee’, as seen as follows:

1.    Delegate to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee –  authority to consult early years providers on any potential changes as a consequence of further published Government regulation or guidance, expected in Autumn 2016;

2.    Delegate to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee – authority to make any necessary amendments to the early years funding formula, following consultation.

The motion was seconded by Councillor Helena Hart. Votes on the motion were recorded as follows:

The motion was declared carried and therefore became the substantive motion. 

Councillor Anne Hutton then moved a motion to alter the wording of the substantive motion (amended recommendations 1 & 2) to add the words ‘and lead opposition spokesperson of the committee’, as seen as follows:

1.    Delegate to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee and lead opposition spokesperson of the committee – authority to consult early years providers on any potential changes as a consequence of further published Government regulation or guidance, expected in Autumn 2016;

2.    Delegate to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee and lead opposition spokesperson of the committee – authority to make any necessary amendments to the early years funding formula, following consultation.

The motion was seconded by Councillor Kath McGuirk. Votes on the motion were recorded as follows:

The motion therefore did not carry.

The Chairman then moved to the recommendations 1 and 2 as amended by the substantive motion. Votes were recorded as follows:

The committee agreed recommendation 3 as laid out in the cover report.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

The Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee:

1.    Delegated to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee – authority to consult early years providers on any potential changes as a consequence of further published Government regulation or guidance, expected in Autumn 2016;

2.    Delegated to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee – authority to make any necessary amendments to the early years funding formula, following consultation;

3.    Noted the council’s draft response to the consultation document from the Department for Education (DfE) on the Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF).

Committee to receive a paper on school performance in Barnet, 2016 (provisional).

The Director of Education and Skills was invited by the Chairman to introduce the item to the committee, which related to provisional school performance in Barnet 2016.

Following discussion of the report, the Chairman moved to the recommendations as laid out in the cover report, which were agreed by the committee.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

1.    That the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee noted the provisional school performance in Barnet for the academic year 2015-16;

2.    That the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee noted the proposed commissioning priorities for school improvement for the academic year 2016/17 (based on data available so far) set out in section 1.5 of the report.

Giving authority for Instrument of Government of school governing bodies to be submitted for signing and sealing.

This report highlights the requirement to make the Instrument of Government for the following maintained school:

·         Gold Star Federation

This report gives authority for Instrument of Government of school governing bodies to be submitted for signing and sealing.

This report highlights the requirement to make the Instrument of Government for the following maintained schools:

·         Brookland Nursery & Infant and Junior Schools

·         Sunnyfields Primary School

·         Garden Suburb Infant and Garden Suburb Junior Schools

Thie report authorises the permanent expansion of Childs Hill Primary School from one and a half to two forms of entry for September 2016. It is estimated that the expansion will cost £365,000. These costs will be met from the Council’s Basic Need Allocations (funding from the Department for Education).