Agenda, decisions and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on the agenda.

The Cabinet Member was invited to declare any personal or prejudicial interests she may have in the business on the agenda.   She declared a personal interest in agenda item 4 – “Appointment of Local Authority School Governors” as a governor of Tang Hall Primary School.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Decision Session of the Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Young People’s Services held on 11 July 2011.

RESOLVED:       That the minutes of the Decision Session held on 11 July 2011 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Cabinet Member.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak at the meeting can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5.00pm on Friday 7 October 2011. 

Members of the public may register to speak on:-

·        An item on the agenda

·        An issue within the Cabinet Member’s remit

·        An item that has been published on the Information Log since the last Decision Session

It was reported that there were no registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report provides information about the current position with regard to vacancies for Local Authority seats on governing bodies, lists current nominations for these vacancies and requests the appointment, or reappointment, of the listed nominees.

RESOLVED:       That the appointment or re-appointment of Local

Governors, as proposed in Annexes 1 and 2 of the report, be approved.

REASON:            To ensure that Local Authority places on school governing bodies continue to be effectively filled.

The Cabinet Member considered a report that provided information about the current position with regard to vacancies for Local Authority seats on Governing Bodies, listed current nominations for those vacancies, as detailed in Annexes 1 and 2 of the report, and requested the appointment, or re-appointment, of the listed nominees.

The Cabinet Member was pleased to note that the vacancy level for Local Authority governors was only 1.7%.  She requested that details be forwarded to her of those vacancies for which there were no applicants¹.

The Cabinet Member was informed that the results of regional and national benchmarking confirmed that the Governance Service performed very highly in terms of low vacancy rates for LA and other governors, and in the take-up of governor training.  She expressed her appreciation of these achievements and suggested that it would be useful for the work of the Governance Service to be more widely publicised. 

RESOLVED:       That the appointment or re-appointment of Local

Authority Governors, as proposed in Annexes 1 and 2 of the report, be approved.

REASON:            To ensure that Local Authority places on school governing bodies continue to be effectively filled.

The purpose of this report is to provide the Cabinet Member with an update on financial performance, progress against service plan improvement actions and performance measures.

RESOLVED:       (i)      That the progress made against service

plan improvement actions and performance measures be noted.

(ii)      That the revised timescale for completion of action that is in progress but where the original estimated timescale has slipped (as detailed in paragraphs 6 and 9 of the report) be approved.

REASON:            To ensure that the Cabinet Member is informed of financial performance, progress against service plan improvement actions and performance measures.

The Cabinet Member considered a report that provided an update on financial performance, progress against service plan improvement actions and performance measures.  The Status Card for quarter 1 actions was attached as Appendix 1 to the report, and the status for performance measures was detailed in paragraph 9 of the report.

The Cabinet Member was updated on the progress of actions relating to her portfolio.  It was noted that, in respect of the action to devise new modules to extend the Children’s University programme, the estimated timescale had slipped. The measures in place to address this matter were detailed, as outlined in paragraph 6 of the report.  The Cabinet Member also noted that the target for participants in Health and Wellbeing activities had not yet been achieved but this was because it was anticipated that the majority of enrolments would arise within the next two quarters.

The Cabinet Member was pleased to note the progress that had been made and suggested that it would be helpful if a further annex were to be added to the agenda papers to provide members of the public with more detail on the actions.

RESOLVED:       (i)      That the progress made against service

plan improvement actions and performance measures be noted.

(ii)      That the revised timescale for completion of action that is in progress but where the original estimated timescale has slipped (as detailed in paragraphs 6 and 9 of the report) be approved.

REASON:            To ensure that the Cabinet Member is informed of financial performance, progress against service plan improvement actions and performance measures.