B&NES Council’s Policy Development & Scrutiny Panel for Children & Young People Panel will be reviewing the recent decision to implement the new National Funding Formula (NFF) methodology.
Image courtesy of B&NES Council
The decision to use the formula for the 2018-19 financial year will be discussed at the next Panel meeting on Tuesday 16th January, which starts at 10:00am, in the Guildhall, Bath.
This item of the meeting (known as a ‘Call-In’) will consider the process leading to the Cabinet decisions, taken on the 23rd December 2017.
The cross-party panel will consider reasons for the decision and the Call-In request, before recommending one of three options: the Cabinet, should reconsider the decision; the Cabinet should proceed as agreed or it should refer the matter to the full Council to carry out the role of the Panel in reviewing the decision process (if this option is chosen, the final decision would still reside with the Cabinet).
The Call-In follows a single member decision by the Cabinet Member for Children & Young People to decide on the funding formula to be utilised for the 2018-19 financial year.
The Cabinet resolved to:
- Agree that the implementation of the new National Funding Formula (NFF) methodology is adopted from the 2018-19 financial year.
- Agree to ensure that all school receive a 0.5% increase per pupil as a minimum.
Subsequently 10 councillors formally asked for the Cabinet Member’s decision to be reviewed – or Called-In. For the following reason:
- Insufficient consideration has been given to alternative options beyond the National Funding Formula and the Local Funding Formula. The report acknowledges that there are many options which could be modelled, but that only one was considered and then dismissed.
At the public meeting, the Scrutiny Panel will receive a statement from Cllr Paul May (Conservative, Publow & Whitchurch), Cabinet Member for Children & Young People, and from Cllr Tim Ball (Liberal Democrat, Twerton) on behalf of councillors who requested the Call-in.
Members of the public wishing to speak at the meeting should contact Democratic Services on 01225 394458 by 5pm today, Thursday 11th January.
Full details and agenda papers are available from the Council’s website (www.bathnes.gov.uk) in the “Council and Democracy” section.
