Contact: Bob Eardley, Strategic Planning Manager, 01962 846275. Email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report sets out proposed changes to the 2006/07 capital programme, proposals for the renewal of planning consent for temporary classrooms.

1.2 This decision supports the Corporate Strategy "Maximising well-being" by proposing allocations of funding to improve the learning environments of Hampshire schools.

2. Amendments to the 2006/07 capital programme

Fees for progressing land sales

2.1 The 2004/05 and 2005/06 capital programmes included provision of £0.165m and £0.350m respectively to engage consultants to progress the sale of land to generate capital receipts for the programme. Of the total of £0.515m available, £0.298m has not been spent, as it has proved possible to progress a larger number of cases using internal staff resources than was originally anticipated. The balance of the provision is, therefore, available to be carried forward and added to the current year's resources and it is recommended that this amount is added to the contingency.

Capital investment in premises for children's social care

Children's homes

2.2 The 2006/07 capital programme includes provision of £0.250m for improvements to children's homes. This sum was identified when the capital programme was approved in January 2006, prior to a full assessment of the work required to bring the homes up to a desirable standard. This assessment of requirements has now been carried out and the costs of implementing the required improvements has been estimated at £0.732m. This sum includes projects identified as urgent, including fire precautions, security and health and safety works, costing about £0.350m.

2.3 It is not possible to fund all of the identified works in the current year, but in order to address the backlog it is proposed to earmark resources over a three year period (subject to funding being available in future years) to allow a structured improvement programme to be planned and implemented. To allow the most urgent works to be programmed as soon as possible, it is proposed to increase the provision in the current year's programme from £0.250m to £0.400m, using resources not required to progress land sales (see paragraph 2.1). This increased provision would also allow unforeseen requirements, such as those arising from Improvement Notices, to be programmed.

2.4 For 2007/08 and 2008/09 indicative provision of £0.300m p.a. is proposed. Again, this would allow other identified projects to be undertaken over a two year period and also provide resources for future unforeseen requirements.

Foster carers' homes

2.5 There is currently no provision for funding alterations to foster carers' homes, where these are required for example to provide separate bedrooms or to cater for additional foster children. In the past such alterations have been funded where possible from revenue, which puts additional strain on budgets which are already under pressure. It would be appropriate to make provision in the capital programme for a limited number of such projects which would be brought forward only where an appropriate business justification could be made and measures incorporated to safeguard the County Council's investment in properties in third party ownership.

2.6 Two cases are currently pending at an estimated cost of £0.120m. To fund these and to make provision for cases likely to arise in the future, it is proposed to make provision of £0.300m for this purpose in the current year's programme, using the balance of resources not spent on land sales (£0.148m) and an allocation from the contingency (£0.152m). For 2007/08 and 2008/09 indicative provision of £0.150m p.a. is proposed.

Specialist schools allocations

2.7 Notifications have been received from the DfES of capital allocations for two schools which have been awarded specialist school status. These are listed in Table 1. The allocation for each school is £0.100m.

Table 1

School	Specialism	Funding source
Noadswood, Dibden	Sport	Grant
Test Valley, Stockbridge	Mathematics and computing	Grant

2.8 It is recommended that £0.200m is added to the capital programme to reflect these allocations.

3. County Council Policy Requirements

3.1 Legal implications - The proposals support the County Council's statutory duty to provide school places and comply with central government accommodation requirements and guidance.

3.2 Financial implications - These are set out in the report.

3.3. Personnel implications - None directly arising from this report.

3.4 Crime prevention issues - None directly arising from this report.

4. Impact assessment

4.1 Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified.

Recommendations

1. That the Executive Member for Policy and Resources approves the following variations to the 2006/07 capital programme for Children's Services:

(a) the carry forward of unspent resources totalling £0.298m from the 2005/06 capital programme, to be added to the 2006/07 contingency;

(b) the addition of resources of £0.150m from the contingency to increase the provision for improvements to children's homes to £0.400m;

(c) the addition of resources of £0.300m from the contingency to fund improvements to foster carers' homes;

(d) the addition of resources of £0.200m for minor works for specialist schools, funded through Government grant.

.

LINK(S) TO CORPORATE STRATEGY
	Yes	No
Hampshire safer and more secure for all		X
Maximising well-being		X
Enhancing our quality of place	X

OR

This proposal does not link to the Corporate Strategy but, nevertheless, requires a decision because:

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 Background documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or

an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material

extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

None.