Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors L.R. Bowen and M. Thomas.

There were no declarations of prohibited party whips.

The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.

[NOTE:  Councillors B.W. Jones, M.J.A. Lewis and E. Skinner, having earlier declared an interest in this item remained in the meeting during its consideration.]

The Committee considered a report on the Council’s Revenue Budget Strategy 2024/25 to 2026/27 and which provided Members with the current view of the revenue budget for 2024/2025, together with indicative figures for the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 financial years.  The report was based on officers’ projections of spending requirements and took account of the provisional settlement issued by Welsh Government (WG) on 20^th December 2023.

It was reported that whilst significant work had already been undertaken in preparing the budget, the report represented an initial position statement which would be updated following the consultation process.  Accordingly, Members were reminded that the report had been considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 15 January 2024 and members of the Committee had attended recent consultation events which had provided an opportunity to analyse and seek clarification on various aspects of the budget.

The Committee was informed that the announced provisional settlement represented an average increase of 3.1% across Wales on the 2023/24 settlement, with Carmarthenshire’s increase being 3.3% (£11.0m). While the settlement was marginally above the Council’s planning figure of a 3.0% increase and provided £0.9m more than the Council’s original assumption, and was to be welcomed, the inflationary, pay awards and other service pressure increases far exceeded the funding provided. In context, the additional budgets required in 2024/25 to meet the costs of pay awards alone totalled £15m.  In particular, no additional funding had been provided to meet the inherent budget shortfall going forward as a result of either the uplift in Teachers pay set by Welsh Government, nor the 2023 NJC pay award set by national pay bargaining.

Committee’s attention was drawn to section 3.5 of the budget strategy whereby an overview of the schools’ delegated budgets was provided to Members. The Cabinet Member for Resources explained that the budget proposals included a £3.5m saving applied in this regard, which was consistent with the level of savings required of other areas of council services. The Cabinet Member for Resources was however pleased to report that the planned reduction to the Recruit Recover Retain Standards (RRRS) grant had been reversed, which would provide partial mitigation.

An overview of the updated position on the current financial outlook, as set out at section 4 of the report, was provided to the Committee which took account of the provisional settlement and also other recent validation changes.

The Committee thereupon considered the following detailed budget information appended to the Strategy, relevant to its remit:-

·       Appendix A(i) – Efficiency summary for the Education & Children’s Services Department.

·       Appendix A(ii) – Growth Pressures summary for the Education & Children’s Services Department. 

·       Appendix B – Budget monitoring report for the Education & Children’s Services Department

·       Appendix C – Charging Digest for the Education & Children’s Services Department

The Cabinet Member for Resources advised that Welsh Government was to receive an extra £25m funding for public  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Committee received for consideration an update report on the Childcare Offer for Wales, the aim of which was to support families with the provision of high quality, flexible and affordable childcare to promote economic regeneration, reduce pressures on family income and help parents to participate in work, thereby reducing a family’s risk of poverty.  Furthermore, the scheme, introduced in January 2019, was funded by Welsh Government for eligible parents and sought to enhance the wellbeing of children with the provision of positive and rich childcare experiences.

A synopsis of the delivery of the scheme was provided to the Committee, which included the introduction of a National Childcare Offer digital service in Summer 2022 to provide a streamlined and uniformed registration and application process, and a weekly fast payment claims service for providers. 

The report set out statistics for the number of applications approved and detailed the support available for additional learning needs by way of the Additional Support Grant (ASG) provided by Welsh Government.

Committee reviewed the payments made to Carmarthenshire Childcare Providers which represented a considerable saving for many local working families and helped to sustain local childcare providers, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.

The issues/observations raised by the Committee were addressed as follows:-

The Director of Education and Children’s Services, in response to a query, explained that given the eligibility criteria, it would be difficult to extract accurate figures pertaining to the number of parents/guardians that had not applied to the childcare offer.  Committee was however assured to note that the department utilised a robust marketing and communications strategy to promote the scheme in a consistent manner and in accordance with its aims and objectives.   

Following a query, it was considered that the eligibility criteria in respect of the minimum number of hours worked was considered to be one of the main the barriers to access the scheme.  It was however highlighted that Welsh Government, in recent years, had extended its eligibility criteria to include those in higher education, seasonal workers and parents of adopted children.

In response to comments made by a Member, it was reported that whilst Welsh Government had confirmed that it would not be reviewing the payment rate for another year, the Authority was monitoring the situation closely following concerns raised that the rate of payment was not sustainable for some providers, thereby requiring some parents to make top up payments.

It was queried whether the distribution of providers across Carmarthenshire resulted in parents/guardians having to utilise childcare provision outside the local area, thereby having a consequential impact on the choice of schools selected.  The Early Years and Childcare Manager reported that a gap analysis of the childcare provision across the county was undertaken every 5 years and had identified a reduction in the number of childminders based in rural areas since the coronavirus pandemic.  Whilst it was acknowledged that the lack of childcare provision within certain localities could potentially influence the choice of schools selected by parents/guardians it was also recognised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

[NOTE:  Councillor B.W. Jones, having earlier declared an interest in this item remained in the meeting during its consideration].

The Committee received for consideration the Draft Divisional Service Delivery Plans relevant to the Education and Children’s Services directorate for 2024/25 as follows:

·   Access to Education

·   Children’s Services

·   Education and Inclusion Services

·   Strategy & Learner Support

The Draft Divisional Service Delivery Plans set out the strategic actions and measures to be implemented within each Division in order for the Council to progress with its well-being objectives, thematic priorities and service priorities.  

In terms of the Children’s Services Service Delivery Plan the report detailed that the elements relevant to the Education, Young People and Wels Language Scrutiny Committee related to the following areas:

·       Schools Safeguarding and Attendance

·       Educational Psychology

·       Play Sufficiency Assessment

The Head of Access to Education clarified that the convergence of the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit and the Ukraine War had contributed to a significant increase in construction costs, which has hindered the delivery of projects related to the Modernising Education Programme.

In response to a query the Head of Access to Education provided an update on the roll out of the Universal Free School Meals provision which was expected to be concluded in February 2024. In this regard, the Head of Access to Education paid tribute to the Catering team and other departments within the Authority who had assisted with the delivery of the provision.

It was further reported that whilst Welsh Government had increased the Universal Free School Meal value from £2.90 to £3.20, the amount did not reflect the true cost to the Authority for the provision of high quality, nutritious school meals to all primary schools.  The Director of Education and Children’s Services stated that discussions were ongoing with Welsh Government in an endeavour for bespoke financing levels to be applied across different counties given the additional costs incurred by rural areas.  In support of Officers’ endeavours, a Member requested that the Committee’s sentiments in respect of the Free School Meal funding formula be conveyed to the Welsh Government as part of any written representations made in respect of the budget (minute 4 above refers).

The Head of Children and Families Services, in response to a request, provided an overview of the sponsored placements on the Open University Social Work Degree/ Masters Degree programme, the aim of which was to mitigate against the national shortage of social workers.  Committee welcomed the array of opportunities available to both current employees and new entrants to become qualified social workers within the county.

In response to a query, the Head of Education Services and Inclusion appraised Members of the current situation in relation to supporting improved behaviour across the county’s schools.  The national issue surrounding declined standards of behaviour had become more prevalent following the coronavirus pandemic, which had been further compounded by the backlog neurological conditions being diagnosed by the health service.  Members were assured to note that a clear strategy was in place to manage  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Committee received an explanation for the non-submission of the scrutiny report pertaining to the 10 year Social Services Strategy.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the explanation for the non-submission be noted.

The Committee reviewed the list of forthcoming items to be considered at its next meeting to be held on 03 April 2024, which had been derived from the Committee’s Forward Work Plan. The Chair emphasised that the Forward Work Plan was a flexible document that could be updated as required throughout the year as new information emerges.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting on the 3^rd April 2024 be noted.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 1^st December 2023 be signed as a correct record.