Agenda item

Ian Pearson introduced the report (Agenda Item 15), which reported the forecast financial position of the services funded by the DSG, highlighting any under or over spends, and to highlight the cumulative deficit on the DSG.

There were no significant variances within the Schools’ Block. There was a potential issue regarding the impact of business rates. The report referenced the overspend of £400k in the Early Years Block, which was predicted in the current year. The Central Schools’ Block was forecasting a £21k underspend and was one of the reasons why it was predicted the block could be balanced in 2021/22.

Section 9.1 of the report provided further detail on the HNB and what the main pressures were. The deficit within the DSG sat largely within the High Needs and Early Years blocks, and Ian Pearson stated that reports would be presented to Schools Forum on plans to address the deficits.

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum noted the report.