Issue - meetings

Review of School Service Level Agreements

Meeting: 26/02/2015 - Lifelong Learning OSC - Expired 07/05/15 (Item 56)

56 Review of School Service Level Agreements pdf icon PDF 69 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

 

(a)          That the report be noted; and

 

(b)          That the Committee receive a further report, outlining the proposals for School Service Level Agreements, in due course.

 

Minutes:

The Chief Officer (Organisational Change) introduced a report to provide an update on the development of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) covering Property Repairs and Maintenance. 

 

The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the Education Act 2002 introduced the ‘fair funding’ model which sought to increase the autonomy of schools by delegating a fair share of funding to schools.  The Chief Officer explained that it was proposed to delegate an increased proportion of funding to schools which had otherwise been retained for targeted repair and maintenance of the school estate.  This would bring Flintshire more in line with the ‘fair funding’ principles.    

 

Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer welcomed the report but asked if Schools would be given the opportunity to employ local builders who may be cheaper or would they have to use contractors currently on the Council’s approved contractors list.  The Chief Officer responded that Schools would need to use builders on the approved Contractor List to ensure safeguards were in place. 

 

In response to comments on the increased costs of contractors on the approved contractors list and whether the list was reviewed, the Senior Technical Officer explained the current banding levels for contractors on the approved list and advised that the list was reviewed.

 

Mr. David Hytch welcomed the report as repairs were a concern for schools.  He asked that repairs be carried out at schools outside of term time to allow for less disruption.

 

Mrs. Janine Beggan agreed in principle with the proposals but raised concerns around how schools would manage their budgets.  Councillor Nancy Matthews commented on the funding schools would receive and asked how the calculations would be worked out per school.  The Chief Officer explained that the SLA offered schools individual elements from which they were free to choose and select.  Each element of the service was to be paid for separately.  He also explained that the detail of how the calculations would be worked out per school had not been finalised, but could be per pupil or per square metre of floor area.  

 

In response to questions from Mrs. Rebecca Stark around design plans and the approved contractors list, the Chief Officer explained that design plans would be undertaken by the Council’s own architect team and that the approved contractors list was reviewed every 3 years.  New contractors could apply to be added to the approved list at any time.  

 

RESOLVED:

 

 

(a)          That the report be noted; and

 

(b)          That the Committee receive a further report, outlining the proposals for School Service Level Agreements, in due course.