Council and councillors

To receive Report No. 47/2023 from the Cabinet containing recommendations to Council.

Report No. 47/2023 was received from the Cabinet, the report detailed several recommendations from the Cabinet to Council for consideration.

The Chairman first invited Councillor D Wilby, Portfolio Holder Education and Children’s Services, to move the recommendations relating to SEND Capital Funding. These recommendations followed the allocation to the Council of £1,000,390 from Department for Education Capital Grant to resource Capital programmes and develop additional school facilities locally for children with Special Needs and Disabilities. It was confirmed that the recommendations could be found in full at the appended Report No. 30/2023 and these were moved by Councillor Wilby and seconded.

An amendment was moved by Councillor K Bool and seconded to insert the words “in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Education and Children’s Services” into the second recommendation. Upon being put to the vote, with 19 votes in favour the amendment was unanimously carried.

RESOLVED

1)    That the second recommendation of the motion be AMENDED to include the text “in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Education and Children’s Services”.

The amended motion was then put to the vote with 19 votes in favour the motion was unanimously carried.

RESOLVED

That Council:

1)    APPROVED allocation of £1,000,390 from Department for Education Capital Grant funding provided to Rutland County Council to resource Capital programmes and develop additional school facilities locally for children with Special Needs and Disabilities.

2)    DELEGATED authority to the Strategic Director for Children and Families and the Strategic Director for Resources, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Education and Children’s Services to decide how the maximum allocation will be applied.

3)    DELEGATED authority to the Strategic Director for Children and Families in consultation with the Director of Legal & Governance, Monitoring Officer and the Portfolio Holder for Education and Children’s Services, to enter into all necessary agreements to progress the programme.

4)    NOTED that the Capital Grant has conditions and that RCC will have to sign an assurance statement confirming RCC has used the Capital Grant for its intended purpose. Accordingly, any capital programmes will not create any ongoing revenue pressure from use of the Capital Grant and that the programme only support schemes that either reduce or avoid costs.

5)    NOTED the tight grant timelines, the Delivering Better Value Review context and the imperative for agile project working.

6)    NOTED the anticipated projects will likely increase sufficiency of SEND places in Early Years and Primary phase mainstream education and Secondary Phase Alternative provision.

7)     

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The Chairman then invited Councillor R Powell, Portfolio Holder for Planning, Highways and Transport, to introduce the recommendations regarding the Highways Capital Programme for 2023/24. The Highways Capital Programme supported the Council’s statutory duties as a highway authority and was prioritised from highways asset condition surveys and inspections.

The recommendations relating to the Highways Capital Programme for 2023/24 were moved by Councillor R Powell and seconded. Upon being put to the vote, with 19 votes in favour the motion was unanimously carried.

RESOLVED

That Council:

1)    APPROVED the spend from the Department for Transport (DfT) allocation for the Highway Capital Programme for the Capital Highway Maintenance Block, Integrated Transport, Capital Pothole and Incentive Funds received to the value of £2,843,000 for 2023/24 as per Appendix A to Report No. 35/2023

2)    DELEGATED authority to the Strategic Director of Places in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for with responsibility for Highways to agree any substitution of projects if the identified schemes cannot proceed.