Issue - meetings

Report ED18041

The Schools’ Forum considered a report outlining the proposed Dedicated Schools’ Grant budget for 2018/19 and the options for funding formula allocations.  The Department for Education had confirmed the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Allocation for 2018/19 as follows:

*NB: figures do not reflect the disapplication request to move £1million from the Schools’ Block to the High Needs Block

The Local Authority (LA) had reviewed each of the four blocks individually to identify any financial pressures.  The Early Years block was shown to be self-funding, although there were some areas deemed to be overspent but were being supported by underspends within the same block.  The High Needs Block was projecting an overspend of £2million.  Following the decision of the Schools’ Forum at its last meeting, the LA submitted an application to the Secretary of State to formally request a disapplication of the regulations which would allow £1million funding to be moved from the Schools’ Block to the High Needs Block without the support of the Forum.  The Head of Schools’ Finance Support reported that the Local Authority had very recently been notified (via a telephone call) that that the Secretary of State had approved the application.  It was therefore proposed that the remaining £1million overspend would be funded by a contribution of £1million from the Revenue Support Grant, subject to the final approval of Members.  SEND4change would continue to carry out a full review of current SEND spend and any savings identified would be invested in the transition period as the LA moved towards a more cost effective and more sustainable High Needs Block position.

As a result of the decision from the Secretary of State £202.4million would be allocated to schools.  The LA had the option to either move to the National Funding Formula (NFF) for 2018/19 (and 2019/20) prior to the planned introduction of the NFF in 2020/21, or to remain with the Bromley Funding Formula (BFF). 

In the Central School Services Block there was a projected overspend of £173,000.  Expenditure in this Block had been reviewed and no immediate short-term savings had been identified.  It was therefore proposed that the projected overspend in this Block would be met from any commensurate underspend of DSG in 2017/18.

In response to a question from the Vice-Chairman concerning whether the application to the Secretary of State made by the Local Authority had included an indication of how the remaining £1million would be met, the Head of ECHS Finance reported that the application itself had not.  However, at its meeting on 10^th January 2018, the Council’s Executive had agreed £1million to be taken from the RSG to help relieve cost pressures in the High Needs Block, this was in addition to the £1million disapplication.  The Chairman reported that he was aware that across London a number of authorities had been considering moving funds from the Schools’ Block to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28