Budget: ‘Tories Bully Schools to Balance Budget’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cllr Bill Esterson, Labour Spokesperson for Children’s Services, voiced concerns at cuts in services to vulnerable children which are provided in schools.
The council currently pays for services including behaviour support, services to children with severe and complex special educational needs and school meals provision in special schools. The total cost of these services is £1.5 million and the council is now asking schools to pick up the tab for them out of their delegated budgets.
The Tories’ blamed the schools for the change in funding because schools refused to allow the council to have extra money directly from their budgets to cover the overspending of the council on centrally provided services to schools.  Schools refused to give the Council any more money, after bailing it out last year to the tune of £2.5 million because they were promised that it would be a one off. The overspend is largely caused by expensive out of area placements of children with complex special educational needs (SEN). These out of area placements are often three times as expensive as the same services provided by the council in Medway. Schools were told last year that a review would be carried out by the council of SEN placements and that action would be taken to reduce this cost.
Cllr Esterson said,
“From April, schools will be asked to pay for services for some of our most vulnerable children from their delegated budgets which means that the services will be optional. Many schools will not actually need these services and you have to question whether schools will be prepared to pay for services which they don’t directly use. My question to Medway’s ruling Tories is who will pay for behavioural support and services to children with more complex needs if schools decide not to pay for these services? A few years ago when schools were asked to pay for the Kent Music School, many refused to pay for it as they didn’t use the service. I am very concerned that the same will happen this time with services to our most vulnerable children. ”
“Labour would like to see an investment in specialist services in Medway which would not only reduce the pressure on schools budgets but also allow children to be closer to home. This would be better for children, for parents and for council tax payers.”
Cllr Esterson also said,
“The Council has had an excellent settlement overall, and schools have received an extra £4.7 million.  However, this has been partially cancelled out by the Tories dumping £1.5 million of extra costs onto schools because they couldn’t balance the budget.  Their attitude to Schools has been appalling- because schools wouldn’t bail them out yet again, the Tories simply forced these costs on to them, and had the nerve to tell the schools it was their own fault.”
“Despite pressure from the Labour Group and the Schools Forum, the Tories have done nothing to tackle the spiralling costs of expensive SEN placements over the past seven years, and yet have the cheek to complain that this demand-led service is one of the major sources of financial difficulty.”
Notes to Editors:

· The following services, which are not in any order of priority were identified in the supporting papers and are now proposed to be delegated:

• Behaviour Support Service £640,200. This could be delegated according to the deprivation factor in the formula, but would probably need to be on a buy-back basis.

• Pupils in mainstream schools with severe and complex (physical and sensory) SEN £201,300.

• School meals provision in special schools £129,000. This could also be operated on a buy-back basis;

Teacher recruitment £173,900.

• Well-being programme £103,400. This could be delegated by adding this sum to the total to be allocated according to the age weighted pupil factor, but would probably need to be on a buy-back basis involving schools paying for the service by way of a subscription.

• Maternity and paternity leave £425,600.

• Trade Union Duties £61,200.

• Public Duties (jury service etc) £6,000.

· Last year the Tory Administration asked the Schools Forum to bail them out to the tune of £2 ½ m.  Since the overspends primarily related to out of area placements for SEN pupils, the Schools Forum agreed subject to the Council developing a strategy to provide more SEN places locally thereby avoiding the high costs being incurred – which in some instances are three times greater than those for in-house provision.  The projected spend is set to rise to over £7m per year.  A year on, this Tory Administration has done nothing to provide extra capacity locally.  Its SEN review – a year in the making – came up with the conclusion that we have a problem but so far has led to zero action.

· Children’s Care - General
           Identify savings to offset additional budget pressure on the fostering service
           Savings: £112 000  Currently no saving identified.
            
           Children’s Care - General Family Group Conferencing
           Savings: £50 000   Anticipated savings