Agenda item
DSG Budget Monitoring 2015/16 Month 5
Minutes:
Ian Pearson introduced the report which presented the monitoring on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) at month 5 of 2015/16.
At the end of August 2015 the total DSG overspend position forecast for year end was £273k, all in the high needs block, as shown in Figure 1 below:
|
|
Total Current Budget £m |
Actual Spend Forecast Month 5 £m |
Month 5 Forecast |
|
Outturn Variance £m |
|||
|
Schools Block (inc ISB) |
65,464,140 |
65,464,140
|
0 |
|
Early Years Block |
7,629,750 |
7,629,750
|
0 |
|
High Needs Block |
16,141,010 |
16,413,890 |
272,880
|
|
Total Net Expenditure |
89,234,900 |
89,507,780 |
272,880 |
|
Support Service Recharges |
720,890 |
720,890 |
0 |
|
Total Expenditure |
89,955,790 |
90,228,670 |
272,880 |
|
DSG Grant |
-89,955,790 |
-89,955,790 |
0 |
|
Net Position |
0 |
272,880 |
272,880 |
The Schools Block was expected to be largely on-line. Any under spends in the growth fund contingency budget and primary schools in financial difficulty budget would be ring fenced and carried forward to 2016/17 and would not impact on the overall position of the DSG. There might be a small overspend on the delegated primary and secondary budgets due to rating revaluations.
A detailed assessment of the forecast for the Early Years block budgets would be undertaken once the Autumn payments have been made to providers and a projection could be made for Spring payments.
The High Needs Block was forecasting an overspend of £272k, the bulk of which was in relation to new placements in non West Berkshire Special schools, mainly Thames Valley Free School. Additional placements over and above allocated place numbers in the Council’s own special schools were also causing a pressure.
A more detailed report on the high needs budget and a review of the savings targets that were set for the current year’s budget would be brought to the next meeting of the Schools’ Forum in December 2015.
Stacey Hunter enquired any of the pressures were ‘one-offs’ or whether the Schools Forum should expect them to be persistent pressures. Ian Pearson commented that some were demand led and therefore less predictable.
Claire White added that of the £280k spent on non-WBC special schools top-up, the majority related to one or two pupils with significantly high needs.
Graham Spellman enquired upon the control of these costs. Ian Pearson responded that there were some pupils with needs that the schools were unable to accommodate. The local authority would look for the best value option in the ‘market place’ and consider whether any of the options had places, what their costs might be, what an additional travel costs might be. There might only be one option available within a travelling distance so there was a limit to the choice available without more specialist settings in the district.
ACTION: the report be noted.
Supporting documents:
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