The Senior Finance Business Partner introduced the report of the Director for Children, Families and Education. The report set out the financial monitoring information for the Children, Families and Education Committee as at Quarter 2 (1 Apr – 30 Sep) of 2023-24. The report provided Members with an overview of budget performance, including progress on the delivery of the 2023-24 saving programme and a summary of reserves to enable the Committee to take ownership of the budgets and provide robust challenge and scrutiny to Officers on the performance of those budgets.

At the end of Quarter 2, there was a forecast adverse position of £0.351m on the Committees net revenue budget of £86,748m. This position was based on activity to date, projected trends in income and expenditure and potential mitigation to offset areas of adverse/favourable variance.

Members discussed the adverse forecast and whether the directorate was likely to get a handle on the deficit, as well as the impact that the number of asylum seeking children requiring residential care might have on the budget.

Officers noted that they had seen a national rise in special needs with associated costs in that area, as well as a rise in the number of EHCP assessments. They proposed a further workshop to go over these trends in detail and noted that it would be a challenge to balance the budget. Officers stated that the government provided a fixed amount of money to the council for each asylum seeking child requiring residential care but that if that child needed further care, the cost would fall to the council.

Resolved – That

1. The forecast revenue position presented at Quarter 2 be noted.

2. The progress on delivery of the 2023-24 savings programme at Quarter 2 be noted.

3. The forecast level of reserves at Quarter 2 be noted.

4. The forecast capital position presented at Quarter 2 be noted.