Agenda item

a)  Noted the draft SCF’s business plan for 2023/24 to 2027/28 at Appendix A and agree that this should not be approved as the annual business plan.

b)  Approved a Contract Sum for 2023/24 of £36.062m, an increase of £4.632m on the 2022/23 base budget.

c)  Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Strategy and Improvement, in consultation with the Lead Member of Customer Services, Procurement & Performance, to offer an enhanced level of support services with a charging mechanism to reflect cost recovery. 

d)  Noted that a report will be brought back to Cabinet in Quarter 2 of 2023/24 with a new business plan for SCF, following consultation with key stakeholders and alignment with the Council’s Corporate Plan.

e)  Noted and accept the recommendations from the People Scrutiny Panel Task and Finish Group and delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Lead Member for Children’s Services, to appoint lead officers to progress each recommendation and to request that the SCF Board of Directors ensure that these recommendations are considered and reflected in a new business plan.

The Lead Member for Children’s Services introduced a report that sought agreement for a delay in the approval of the Slough Children First (SCF) business plan for 2023 to 2028 and agreement for the contract sum for 2023/24.

It was recognised that the company required a high quality, long term business plan.  The current plan was approved on an interim basis and the re-submitted plan had been subject to a review by Mutual Ventures.  The new Executive Director People (Children) / Chief Executive of SCF had only recently started in post and it was considered appropriate to provide more time to re-draft the plan under the new leadership.  It was anticipated that the new business plan for SCF be brought to Cabinet in Quarter 2 of 2023/24.

The Council was, as a minimum, required to agree the Contract Sum for SCF for 2023/24 and it was proposed that this be £36.067m, which was an increase of £4.632m on the 2022/23 base budget.

The recommendations were approved.

Resolved –

(a)  Noted the draft SCF’s business plan for 2023/24 to 2027/28 at Appendix A and agree that this should not be approved as the annual business plan.

(b)  Approved a Contract Sum for 2023/24 of £36.062m, an increase of £4.632m on the 2022/23 base budget.

(c)  Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Strategy and Improvement, in consultation with the Lead Member of Customer Services, Procurement & Performance, to offer an enhanced level of support services with a charging mechanism to reflect cost recovery. 

(d)  Noted that a report will be brought back to Cabinet in Quarter 2 of 2023/24 with a new business plan for SCF, following consultation with key stakeholders and alignment with the Council’s Corporate Plan.

(e)  Noted and accept the recommendations from the People Scrutiny Panel Task and Finish Group and delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Lead Member for Children’s Services, to appoint lead officers to progress each recommendation and to request that the SCF Board of Directors ensure that these recommendations are considered and reflected in a new business plan.