Issue - meetings

Report CEF23040

The report presented the budget monitoring position for the 2023/24 financial year which showed a projected overspend of £2,142,000 forecast on the controllable budget, based on activity to 30 June 2023.

The Vice-Chairman was pleased to note a slight easing in the number of SEN referrals in the short-term and queried whether this might represent a wider reversal of the increases experienced in recent years.  The Director of Education advised that whilst there had been a recent stabilisation or reduction in caseloads for all statutory services, the number of high needs placements remained high.  In response to another question from a Member, the Head of Children, Education and Families Finance clarified that the current projected in-year overspend in Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) of £4,209k was in addition to the £12,706k deficit carried forward from the 2022/23 financial year, although this had been offset slightly by an increase in the 2022/23 Early Years DSG of £600k giving an estimated DSG deficit at the end of the year of £16,315k.  The Local Authority had developed a robust Deficit Recovery Management Plan in consultation with the Department for Education to help contain and ultimately recover the Dedicated Schools Grant deficit which was a national issue affecting many local authorities.  As an interim measure the Government had put a Financial Disregard in place which meant that such deficits did not have to be counted within the reserves of local authorities.

RESOLVED: That the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Note the latest projected overspend of £2,142,000 forecast on the controllable budget, based on information as at June 2023;

2)  Agree the release of amounts carried forward from the 2022/23 financial year, as set out in Section 5 of Report CEF23040; and,

3)  Recommend the Council’s Executive agree the release of funds from the Central Contingency as set out in Section 6 of Report CEF23040.