Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet approves the application for a licensed deficit for the schools outlined within this report.

Reasons for Recommendation

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Educationintroduced a report on setting a licence deficit budget for certain schools in the Borough. It was explained that maintained schools had a duty to provide a balanced budget, but in exceptional circumstances, a school may end up with a deficit budget. In such cases, the school, with the agreement of the Governors, must notify the local authority to request a licence deficit budget, allowing the school to function and reposition itself for the future.

The Cabinet Member advised that this year, the number of schools posting a deficit had increased from five to six for the 2024-2025 period. Finance officers and education advisors continued to meet with these schools to monitor, support, review, and work on financial plans. Some schools had struggled to achieve a balanced budget due to under-subscription of pupil numbers or the need for guidance in rebalancing expenditure.

The Leader of the Council thanked the Cabinet Member for compiling this and the previous education related reports and appreciated the additional effort by the staff. The recommendations were agreed upon.

Alternative options considered / risk management

None, as a Licensed Deficit was required for schools proposing to set an in-year deficit.