Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Education and Learning seeking approval to extend the Learner Services Contract, attached.

(Councillor Parsons declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of being the Council's representative on the Babcock Board, notwithstanding appointments to such bodies were covered by the Council's general dispensation to Members).

(Councillors Biederman, Connett and Hannaford attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Education and Learning seeking approval to extend the Learner Services Contract, the Report being circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The Report highlighted that the Council’s 10-year learner services contract was due to end on 31^st March 2022.  Whilst the Council had been undertaking work on the future delivery options for the services since September 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent emergency work meant a direct impact on the work being undertaken by these teams. It was important to ensure sufficient time for completing that work to the required quality, therefore the Learner Services Commissioning Project Board had recommended that the existing contract be negotiated and extended on a like for like basis for a maximum of 12 months. This would allow the additional time required to complete the commissioning process and also ensure that all of the correct consultations and engagements would be carried out.

Due to the importance and complexity of the services and the time required to implement any new service delivery model it would not be beneficial to remove or restrict any of the workstreams as this would have a direct impact on the future service delivered.

The Report outlined the relevant legal and risk management considerations and highlighted there were no further equality considerations for the service over those considered in the original impact assessment.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives set out in the Head of Service’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

it was MOVED by Councillor McInnes, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVEDthat the negotiation of an extension of the Service Contract for Learner Services with Babcock Learning and Development Partnership LLP (LLP) on the same terms for up to a maximum of 12 months be agreed and that authority be delegated to the Chief Officer for Children’s Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Schools to agree the exact period of the extension (although not exceeding 12 months).