Agenda item

A report from the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services, Chief Education Officer and Director of Schools and Children’s Services will be circulated as soon as possible. (Key decision – reference number 4293)

(Report No.108)

(9.10 – 9.15 pm)

TO FOLLOW

Councillor Ayfer Orhan (Cabinet Member for Education, Children’s Services and Protection) introduced the report of the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services, the Chief Education Officer and Director of Children’s Services (No.108) outlining proposals for the delivery of the upper secondary autistic provision.

NOTED

1.               The previously identified need for additional special school places in the Borough as set out in the report.

2.               The progress which had been made to date and the future proposals as outlined in the report. Members noted the identified strategic need as detailed in section 3 of the report. In considering the alternative options which had been considered, Members’ attention was drawn to paragraph 4.3 of the report with the high cost of out of borough placements if no action was taken to address the identified growing demand for places. Section 6 of the report set out the financial implications of the proposals.

3.               Councillor Orhan expressed her appreciation to Barnet and Southgate College for their support and effective partnership working with the Council. Thanks were also extended to the officers involved for their significant and dedicated work in progressing the proposals being presented to Members in the report.

4.               That a further report would be produced in relation to the disposal of site 2b Southgate House.

5.               That the costs would now be met through basic needs funding, as set out in the report.

Alternative Options Considered: NOTED the following alternative options which had been considered:

·       A full sequential test had been carried out to consider other possible locations for the special school, numerous other sites had been considered in both the Council’s control and in private ownership and assessed against the Building Bulletin criteria for space supplied by the Department for Education, speed of delivery/programme, cost and accessibility; Minchenden had been considered as the best fit and overriding solution.

·       In particular two sites had been tested thoroughly against suitability and viability against the Minchenden Site, one in the east of the Borough and one in the west. Both of these sites were suitable for the development of an autistic provision; however the financial cost to deliver the alternatives were several million pounds more than the Minchenden site.

·       Keep the status quo and provide costly out of borough placements to an increasing cohort of ASD pupils in the Borough.

DECISION: The Cabinet agreed to

1.               Approve the redevelopment of the Farbey Building (site 2a) to provide a 120 place upper secondary autistic unit.

2.               Allocate £10.5m of Basic Needs funding to fund the redevelopment of the Minchenden Site.

3.               Note that a further report would be produced in relation to the disposal of site 2b Southgate House.

4.               Delegate authority to the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services and the Chief Education Officer in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Efficiency and the Cabinet Member for Education, Children’s Services and Protection to award and appoint a contractor(s) for the demolition/strip out and redevelopment of the site.

5.               Continued delegated authority to the Cabinet Member for Education, Children’s Services and Protection and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Efficiency in consultation with the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services, the Chief Education Officer or the Assistant Director of Strategic Property Services, to take decisions on:

·       The individual site and preferred partners, and decisions on statutory requirements, to meet the need for extra pupil places, both mainstream and special, up to 2020.

·       Conducting suitable procurement exercises and either calling off EU-compliant framework agreements or conducting suitable procurement exercises, entering into contractual arrangements with successful contractors and placing orders for any capital works required for the projects; and

·       Conducting any necessary land transactions, including acquisitions by way of freehold or leasehold, as the individual scheme was developed.

6.               Continued delegated authority to the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services and the Chief Education Officer to take decisions on the:

·       Programme management arrangements and operational resourcing, including procurement of any required support services.

·       Commencing feasibility or initial design to inform pre-application discussions with planning and procurement of resources for this activity.

·       Cost estimates, budgets and spend for projects in advance of updates to the Capital Programme.

·       Submission of planning applications; and

·       The appropriate procurement routes for professional support services and construction for individual schemes.

7.               Note that the total expenditure for the school development above was within the total budget approved as part of the Programme. The Programme was reported quarterly and any variations to the costs approved in this report and others, which would include the supplementary package of works, would be managed through the scheme of delegation for SEP projects.

Reason: The feasibility costs noted in the report showed that the redevelopment of the northern half of the Minchenden site could be met from existing budgets within the Schools and Children’s Services Capital Programme without the requirement for cross subsidisation from other sites or borrowing from PWLB. The site represented a unique opportunity to create a specialist hub for SEN/ASD within Enfield that could be a world class offering.  

(Key decision – reference number 4293)