Agenda item

That the Cabinet note the following and recommend the report to Council for noting:

·  the forecast position for DSG spend in 2021/22 to 2024/25

·  the overarching issues that have resulted in the DSG deficit and the actions taken to date to address these

·  the Council has been invited to take part in the ‘safety valve’ intervention programme with the DfE which is expected to commence in April/May 2022.

The Cabinet considered a report on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Management Plan.  It was noted that the DSG deficit had been growing since 2015/16 mainly due to the pressures from additional funding in the High Needs Block and a lack of management action to May 2021.

The financial implications and risks were noted.  The Director of Finance stated a significant amount of work had taken place to address the issue and anticipated overspend forecast of £7.2m this year had been reduced £4.9m as a result of this work.  It was recognised that the DSG funding issues were a national problem and the DSG ‘safety valve’ programme was noted.

The Cabinet supported the work set out in the management plan and agreed to recommended the report to Council for noting.

Recommended –  That the Cabinet note the following and recommend the report to Council for noting:

·  the forecast position for DSG spend in 2021/22 to 2024/25

·  the overarching issues that have resulted in the DSG deficit and the actions taken to date to address these

·  the Council has been invited to take part in the ‘safety valve’ intervention programme with the DfE which is expected to commence in April/May 2022.