Agenda and decisions

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed here

That approval be given for a consultation to be undertaken on the Leicestershire County Council’s draft School Places Strategy 2026-2031.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The School Places Strategy sets out how the Council will meet its statutory duties to ensure that there are sufficient high quality school places in Leicestershire which are in the right place, at the right time.  It outlines the background, principles and challenges of delivering school places in Leicestershire and how the Council will work with stakeholders to fund and deliver places between 2026 and 2031.

A public consultation on the draft Strategy will seek to confirm that the final Strategy reflects local needs and will enable stakeholder feedback to be considered before adoption.

a)    That the responses to the consultation on a 0.5% transfer from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant for the 2026/27 financial year be noted;

b)    That in considering the two options set out in paragraphs 48-64 of the report for funding a sustainable outreach and graduated support offer to mainstream schools through Oakfield School, the decision of the Schools Forum to not support either Option 1 (a 0.5% transfer from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block) or Option 2 (a per-pupil contribution from schools to support pupil outreach support and a commitment from schools to supporting ongoing mainstream inclusion) but proposed further consultation with schools on Option 2, be noted;

c)    That the preferred option 2 for implementation be agreed, noting that if it agrees to progress with a Schools Block Transfer, the Director of Children and Family Services will be authorised to seek permission from the Secretary of State to approve a 0.5% transfer.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION:

Demand for support for children and young people with SEND in Leicestershire is growing at a significantly faster rate than was anticipated in the current Medium Term Financial Strategy, leading to an increasingly unsustainable financial position for the Council and education system in the county.  These pressures are also reflected nationally.  There is a need for ongoing support for inclusion and belonging of children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools, and a clear need for outreach and graduated support for pupils with additional needs following the ending of existing offers funded through the SEN Investment Fund for 2025/26.  Mainstream inclusion is anticipated to be a key expectation from the upcoming Schools White Paper.

Local authorities are able to transfer 0.5% of funding from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block of the DSG following consultation with schools and the approval of the Schools Forum.  If the Schools Forum does not approve, or if a transfer in excess of 0.5% is being sought, local authorities can seek formal permission from the Secretary of State to disapply sections of the School and Early Years Finance England Regulations which govern the use of DSG.

This report notes the views of consultees, feedback from the Schools Forum and seeks a decision from the Cabinet on the preferred approach for funding a sustainable outreach and graduated support offer for children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools.

Should a School Block Transfer of 0.5% be the preferred option, the Cabinet’s approval is necessary in order for the Director of Children and Family Services to approach the Secretary of State for permission to undertake the transfer which would be used to continue the SEN Investment Fund.

a)    That the County Council’s response to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s Regulation 18 Local Plan consultation, set out in paragraphs 37 to 65 and the appendix to the report, be noted and approved;

b)    That the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Cabinet Lead Member, be authorised to make any minor amendments to the consultation response prior to its submission to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council by 28 November 2025, including to strongly emphasise the urgent need for further evidence on the proposed strategic development, Norton Heath, given the significant concerns the County Council has over the proposed allocation.

REASON FOR DECISION:

The County Council’s response will set out key comments for consideration by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council in progressing its new Local Plan.  It seeks to ensure alignment with the Leicester and Leicestershire Strategic Growth Plan, and to influence the content of the Local Plan in the interests of local communities, including ensuring that the Local Plan provides the most robust possible policy platform for securing the provision of the infrastructure and services required to support its successful delivery.

a)    That the progress in delivering on the Council’s service priorities as set out in the draft Annual Delivery Report 2025 be noted;

b)    That the Council’s low comparative funding, good performance outcomes position, and the financial pressures and risks now facing the Authority set out in the Performance Compendium be noted;

c)    That in light of the pressure on the Council’s financial sustainability arising from continued service demand, improvement and cost pressures, the Council continues to press its case for a fairer funding settlement, progresses plans for a fundamental Budget and Efficiency Review and its preference to secure c£40m efficiency savings and wider benefits from a new unitary authority for Leicestershire and Rutland;

d)    That the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Leader, be authorised to make any amendments to the draft Annual Delivery Report and Performance Compendium prior to its submission for approval to the County Council on 3 December 2025.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

It is best practice in performance management, implicit in the LGA Sector-Led approach to local authority performance and part of the Council’s Internal Governance Framework, to undertake a review of overall progress at the end of the year and to benchmark performance against comparable authorities.  It is also good practice to produce an annual performance report and ensure that it is scrutinised, transparent, and made publicly available.

The National Audit Office has issued best practice guidance for annual reports, highlighting that the annual report is a key mechanism for transparent disclosure of an organisation’s in-year performance and governance matters.  The report should discuss how the entity has performed in the year, including areas where performance has deteriorated or is below expectations, and the other key risks.

The County Council is poorly funded in comparison with other local authorities and this, until addressed, will continue to affect delivery, performance, risks and Council Tax levels.  The Annual Performance Report will be a useful source of data for the Council’s Efficiency Review which is due to start this month with the aim of identifying further opportunities to reduce costs, generate income and deliver services differently.

The draft Annual Delivery Report and Performance Compendium may be modified to reflect comments made by the Cabinet as well as to include any final national comparative data which becomes available prior to its consideration by the County Council.

a)    That the performance against targets in the Traded Services Strategy during 2024/25 be noted;

b)    That the future developments as outlined in the report and Outlook for 2025/26 be welcomed;

c)    That the current status of the programme to exit the school food service be noted;

d)    That the current status of the engagement process for the future of Beaumanor be noted.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The Annual Report on the Traded Services Strategy outlines the progress that has been made by the County Council (via the Leicestershire Traded Services).

The changes to the school food service and engagement programme for Beaumanor were decisions taken by the Cabinet at its meeting in July 2025.

The press and public are likely to be excluded during the following item of business in accordance with Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972:

Expanding Community Based Support for Early Years Children with Additional Needs.

(Exempt under Paragraphs 3 and 10.)

That a consultation process on a new model for the provision of additional locality-based inclusion support and funding for Early Years children with additional needs, as set out in the report, be approved.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION

The Council aims to enable more Early Years children with additional needs to access mainstream provision in their local communities, to reduce reliance on specialist nursery provision and ensure equity of provision across the County.  This would also ensure the Council can deliver the Government’s mainstream inclusion aspirations which are expected to be set out in the Schools White Paper.

Consultation with stakeholders on the proposed changes will help inform the proposals and the approach to implementation of the new delivery model.