Agenda

Minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 7 December 2021, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Unless already entered in the Council’s Register of Members’ interests, members are required to disclose any personal interest (which includes any disclosable pecuniary interest) they may have in any of the items included on the agenda for the meeting in accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council on 4 July 2012, and are reminded that if they have any personal interests of a prejudicial nature (as defined under paragraph 17 of the Code Conduct) they must not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter.

NB Any member needing clarification must contact monitoringofficer@northumberland.gov.uk.  Please refer to the guidance on disclosures at the rear of this agenda letter.

This report sets out the outcomes of informal consultation on a proposal to amalgamate Seaton Sluice Middle School and?Whytrig?Middle School on the current?Whytrig?and Astley Community High School site in Seaton?Delaval?or alternative site.?

This consultation?has arisen as?a result of a?request?from?the Governing Body of the Seaton Valley Federation to the Council?following their identification of significant educational and financial benefits for all students within the Seaton Valley Federation that could arise from the two middle schools amalgamating on one site?with Astley High School in the planned?new buildings?already approved for?Whytrig?and Astley (Appendix A).????

This report sets out the outcomes of informal consultation on a proposal to relocate Atkinson House Special School to a former school site in Ponteland and to change the designation of the school to become co-educational.

This consultation has arisen as a result of the need to provide additional places for young people, including girls, in Northumberland with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH) in September 2022 as a result of the steady upward trend in the demand for special school places in the county and nationally over the last ten years.

Cabinet is now asked to permit the publication of a statutory proposal in line with the requirements of The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013 following the outcomes of informal consultation (Appendix B).

To update Cabinet regarding the National Funding Formula (NFF) and the implications for 2022/23 School Funding in Northumberland (Appendix C).

The report of the FACS OSC on these matters will be circulated when the Committee has met.

To report on a finding of maladministration by the Local Government and Adult Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO), and to recommend consequent changes to the process for determining appeals against decisions about “disability related expenditure” under the Council’s charging policy for non-residential adult social care services (Appendix D).

To inform the Cabinet of current recruitment and retention issues affecting the care providers from which the Council commissions adult social care services, and to set out measures which could be adopted to address this (Appendix E).

To advise members of the estimated year end balances on the Collection Fund in relation to Council Tax and Business Rates for the year ending 31 March 2022 (Appendix F).

The report summarises proposed amendments to the Capital Programme considered by the officer Capital Strategy Group via email on 3 December 2021 (Appendix G).

To note a decision taken by the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to offer providers of visit-based home care services commissioned by the Council funding for a bonus payment for care workers who continue working through the coming winter (Appendix H).

It is expected that matters included in this part of the Agenda will be dealt with in private.  Reports referred to are enclosed for members and officers only, coloured pink and marked "Not for Publication".

The Committee is invited to consider passing the following resolution:

(a)    That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item on the Agenda as it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the 1972 Act, and

(b)    That the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure for the following reasons:-

Agenda Item            Paragraph of Part I of Schedule 12A

9                               3

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any?particular person (including the authority holding that information).

AND?

The public interest in maintaining this exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure?because the information can be considered to be commercially sensitive.?

The report summarises proposed amendments to the Capital Programme considered by the officer Capital Strategy Group via email on 3 December 2021 (Appendix I).