Agenda and minutes

Venue: This meeting will be held remotely. The meeting can be viewed live by pasting this link into your browser: https://youtu.be/Bu_TEci-am4

Contact: Suzanne Bennett/Liz Knight, Governance Services - Telephone: 024 7697 2299/2644  E-mail:  suzanne.bennett@coventry.gov.uk/liz.knight@coventry.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

13.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 

 

14.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 67 KB

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting held on 8 July, 2020 were agreed as a true record. There were no matters arising

 

15.

Education and Vulnerable Families pdf icon PDF 2 MB

To receive a presentation of Director of Children’s Services and Director of Education and Skills

 

Councillor Maton, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and Councillors Seaman and Gittins, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Children and Young People have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item

 

Minutes:

Cllr Brown introduced the item, outlining the effect that the pandemic had had on children, young people and their families, especially with the closure of schools to the majority of children and young people. The concern was that the lockdown situation has put additional pressure on already vulnerable families and that there was hidden harm in the system.

 

The Committee received a presentation which outlined the following;

·  The situation had strengthened partnership working further

·  That dynamic reset and recovery plans were in place at the Local Authority, Health and education settings level 

·  That all partnership schools were prepared to welcome all children back to school in September 2020. 

·  Support services were ready to resume full ’Covid safe’ operations.

·  That Children’s Services, Police, Education continued to work together to address the presenting city-wide impact of Covid-19

·  Circa 260 iterations of guidance have flowed from central government for schools

·  To secure the safe opening of schools to Key Workers and Vulnerable Children all LA schools and settings and the vast majority of Academies had completed and submitted to the Local Authority Covid-19 operational risk assessments.

·  The process had been repeated for the planned full re-opening of schools in September 2020 to reflect new Government guidance

·  The breakdown of attendance of vulnerable student

·  Free school meals update including that by mid-April 100% of known eligible children were recorded as accessing FSM, from a starting point in mid-March of just over 20%

·  That to date, Coventry maintained schools have reported:

o  Additional costs of £450,000

o  Lost income of £580,000

o  Claiming for £270,000

·  1200 laptops have been reconfigured, updated and delivered to vulnerable children in conjunction with Children’s Services, the Virtual School, IT, transport.

·  The coordination of on-line resources for schools e.g. Coventry Recovery Curriculum

·  Additional funding streams and funding for the sustainability of services

·  The challenges ahead including:

o  Expectation of increased demand on front-line services across education and care will need to be absorbed, whilst sustaining Covid-19 responses leading to increased capacity challenges

o  Implementing the Outbreak Control Plan in response to Covid-19 transmission in schools and the community would require secure contingency planning and resource switching and service disruption

o  Home to school transport was an emerging challenge, that may impact on risk management in schools, pupil attendance, sufficiency and costs

o  Resource implications

 

The presentation also covered the steps being taken to keep children safe in the community by:

·  Continuing to deliver ongoing protections, support and intervention to vulnerable children

·  Four Family Hubs had remained open continuing to provide a “here to help” function for families

·  Schools and education services setting up a contact system for vulnerable children who did not require or take up a school placement – this extended across school holiday periods and complimented social work contacts

 

It was also highlighted that there is an estimated financial impact of £1.5 million to Children’s Services.

 

The Committee also heard how Covid-19 had affected priorities and plans and what opportunities there were to do things differently in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

16.

Scrutiny Management

Councillor R Brown, Chair of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee, attended the meeting of Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration held on 14 July 2020 for consideration of an item relating to “Whitley Depot Rebuild – Additional Capital Allocation”

 

Councillor R Brown agreed that the decision was urgent and that call in should not apply. In accordance with the Constitution, this matter is reported to inform the Committee of the reason for urgency which is that the tender deadline expired on 17 July, 2020. To delay contract award risked the project having to be retendered and the capital costs increasing.

 

Minutes:

Councillor R Brown, Chair of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee, attended the meeting of Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration held on 14 July 2020 for consideration of an item relating to “Whitley Depot Rebuild – Additional Capital Allocation”

 

Councillor R Brown agreed that the decision was urgent and that call in should not apply. In accordance with the Constitution, this matter is reported to inform the Committee of the reason for urgency which is that the tender deadline expired on 17 July, 2020. To delay contract award risked the project having to be retendered and the capital costs increasing.

 

 

17.

Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee Work Programme 2020/2021 and Outstanding Issues pdf icon PDF 52 KB

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

Minutes:

The Committee considered and noted their Work Programme for 2020/21.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

1)  That the meeting scheduled for 19th August is not required

 

2)  That a programme of dates for all Scrutiny Boards from September onwards be circulated

 

3)  That Digital Inclusion and Skills be added to the Work Programme

 

4)  That Vulnerability and Disadvantaged Young People as a result of Covid be referred to the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2)

 

 

18.

Any Other Items of Public Business

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as a matter of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

Minutes:

The Committee noted it was the 20th anniversary of the Local Government Act 2000, which introduced the Cabinet and Scrutiny model of local government.

 

There were no other items of urgent public business.