Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/17/47) seeking approval to high priority schemes within the School’s Basic Need Capital Investment Proposals for the 2018/19 Academic Year, attached.

(Councillors Biederman, Colthorpe, Connett and Hannaford attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/17/47) seeking approval to the inclusion within the School’s Basic Need Capital Investment Proposals of three high priority schemes planned for the new academic year (2018/19), in advance of the determination of the Council’s budget in February 2018.

The Education Infrastructure Plan 2016 - 2033 previously adopted by the Cabinet (Minute*86/12 October 2016) set out an investment programme to ensure the County Council could meet its statutory responsibilities in respect of the supply of sufficient pupil places, re-affirming the Council’s aspiration to provide ‘local schools’ for ‘local children’. 

The Head of Service now commended to Cabinet the proposals set out in full at Appendix A to Report PTE/17/47 (which aligned directly to the Education Infrastructure Plan and the need for detailed individual infrastructure needs and timescales) for three schemes for a New Primary School in Okehampton, a New Primary School in Barnstaple and additional Special Educational Need places at Charleton Lodge, Tiverton.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Schools reported that the Local Member for Okehampton Rural was supportive of the proposals in his ward.

The Head of Service’s Report referred to the Impact Assessments prepared (i) in October 2016 in relation to the aforementioned Education Infrastructure Plan and (ii) to that for new schools, which were underpinned by the principle of access to local education and ensuring communities, where possible, were able to access inclusive provision. 

Those Assessments recognised the need for every child to have fair access to schools providing the highest standards of teaching, acknowledging that the process would conform with the requirements of the Council’s Education Infrastructure Plan and the Department for Education Guidance for Proposers and Decision Makers and that there were sufficient school places in the order to accommodate any displaced pupils. The transport and travel needs of any such pupil would be fully assessed in accordance with the Council’s Environmental and School Transport policies.  The Cabinet further noted that the detailed proposal for Charleton Lodge, when developed, would require a new impact assessment.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, environmental impacts, risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) 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 Clatworthy, and

RESOLVED

(a) that approval be given to the increase in the aforementioned projects detailed more fully at Appendix A to Report PTE/17/47;

(b) that approval be given to increasing the 2017/18 Planning Transportation & Environment Capital Programme by £651,957 funded by developer section 106 contributions;

(c) that approval be also given to the allocation of £8,763,342 from the unallocated Basic Need funding in the 2018/19 programme to support the proposals in Appendix A to Report PTE/17/47; and

(d) that Cabinet acknowledge that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47