Purpose

Proposed decision

To reduce the value of the core contract with The Education People in 2024/25 by £0.9m through changes to the service specification.

Reason for the decision

As part of KCC’s budget setting process discussions have taken place with TEP’s leadership to assess areas of efficiency.  Proposals for £0.9m of savings in 2024-25 have been received. 

It is expected that through further efficiency work with TEP, savings of £300k will be achieved in 2025/26.  Any delivered saving in excess of the £900k in 2024/25 will help towards the £300k in 2025/26.

Options (other options considered but discarded)

The alternative to reducing the value of the TEP contract by £0.9m is to secure savings elsewhere in the Education Service budget.  Delivery of the MTFP savings (£1.2m in 2024/25) requires action in addition to the proposals in this paper.  The proposals represent a fair balance as to where savings are being made.

It is feasible to consider finding different savings from within the TEP contract to those included in the proposals.  However, the proposals offer savings which best align with the Council’s statutory duties, from areas where activity levels have changed, areas where responsibility for funding these should rightly fall to other parties, and areas which are believed to add least value. 

Decision

As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, in consultation with Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services, I agree to:

a)  reduce the value of the core contract with The Education People by £0.9m over the next 2 years through the changes to the service specification set out in Table 1 and Appendix A of the decision report; and

b) delegate authority to Director of Education & SEN to take the necessary actions to implement the decision.