Minutes of Meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 17 January 2008 at 10.30 a.m.
Present
Mr W Fernie, Mr B Gormley, Lady Thurso, Ms K MacNab, Mrs I Campbell, Dr A Sinclair, Mrs J Urquhart, Ms M Smith, Mr M Finlayson, Mrs M E Paterson, Mr C Fraser, Mr A M Millar, Mr E Hunter, Mr D Hendry, Mrs E McAllister, Mr R A C Balfour, Mr L Fraser, Ms J Douglas, Dr M E M Foxley, Mr J McDonald, Miss G Slider.
Non-Members also present:
Ms L Munro, Mr D Mackay, Mr J Rosie, Mr G M Smith, Mr R Coghill, Mr J McGillivray, Mr A Rhind, Dr D Alston, Mrs I McCallum, Mr H Fraser, Mr J Laing, Mr W Clark, Mrs M C Davidson, Mr P Corbett, Mr J S Gray, Mr R Wynd.
In Attendance:
Mr H Fraser, Director of Education, Culture and Sport
Mr B Alexander, Head of Integrated Children’s Services, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr R MacKenzie, Head of Support Services, Education Culture and Sport
Mr I Murray, Head of Community Learning and Leisure, Education, Culture and Sport
Mrs J Graham, External Funding Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr G Watson, Community Development Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms J Watson, Library and Information Services Co-ordinator, Education, Culture and Sport
Mrs F Hampton, Project Director, Highland 2007
Ms A Bell, Highland 2007
Mr G Bowie, Highland 2007
Mr J Allison, Principal Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office
Miss J Maclennan, Committee Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office
Mr W Fernie in the Chair
Business
An asterisk in the margin denotes a recommendation to the Council. All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to the Committee.
Preliminaries
Mr J MacDonald opened the meeting with prayer.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mrs D MacKay and Mrs G Sinclair.
2. Successes
The Committee NOTED a circulated list of recent successes in the Education, Culture and Sport Service. The Chairman also presented a gold Scotland’s Health at Work Award to Alness Academy and, together with representatives of Lyreco, he presented prizes to the winners, runners-up and to teachers representing schools which took part in the annual Lyreco Design Competition.
3. Revenue Budget 2007/08 - Monitoring
There had been circulated Report No ECS-01-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which set out the Revenue Budget monitoring position for the period 1 April to 30 November 2007 and which showed a projected overspend of £2.572m. The budget pressures and financial issues which could have a detrimental impact on the budget were highlighted together with the proposed action to address these. In particular, the overspend relating to Out of Authority placements in the Joint Committee on Children and Young People budget had now been included in the Education, Culture and Sport budget as agreed under the terms of the financial protocol governing the Joint Committee budget. The factors leading to this overspend were explained to Members together with the Action Plan that had been drawn up to help address it.
In discussion, particular concern was raised at the potential impact the new youth work policy was having on community projects. Many local projects would fail without appropriate support and the new structure of basing youth workers in Associated School Groupings (ASGs) was unlikely to achieve the same benefits these smaller local projects had. A re-examination of the policy was sought, perhaps by a Working Group, to determine the best way forward and a call was made that, in the interim, the appointment of youth workers to ASGs be halted.
The Committee AGREED:-
i. a request to the Resources Committee for £2.09M additional funding to
address the significant and on-going demands relating to the Joint
Committee on Children and Young People budget;
ii. the continuing policy of financial restraint and the identification of off-
setting savings; and
iii. that the process of appointing Youth Workers to Associated School
Groupings be halted pending submission of a report reviewing the current
youth work policy including the need for a policy review Working Group.
4. Capital Expenditure 2007/08 – Monitoring
There had been circulated Report No ECS-02-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on Capital Expenditure in the Education, Culture and Sport Service for the period 1 April to 30 November 2007 and which included Highland 2007 Year of Culture, progress on the Public, Private Partnership (PPP) schools contracts and information on expenditure on the PPP2 schools’ curricular equipment purchases. The report also sought approval of projects at Knockbreck (Tain), Kilchuimen and Farr Primary Schools to meet accommodation needs due to building failure and increasing school rolls and the costs of implementation of the Phoenix e1 Education Management System through the Capital Programme. In summary, there was an overall projected underspend of £5.710m but this was associated with the receipt of an additional £1.714m School Fund grant from the Scottish Government, its allocation to projects releasing funding to be carried forward into Financial Year 2008/09 and some general programme slippage.
A revised five year capital programme would be brought to the Committee’s next meeting. The purpose was not to make radical changes but to take into account inflationary increases, scheduling of projects and where urgent attention was required in terms of property condition or fluctuations in school rolls taking into account the information contained in the Service’s Estate Strategy. Members raised various issues and particular projects giving rise to concern and stressed the need for a robust maintenance programme being in place.
The Committee NOTED:-
i. the position as detailed in the monitoring statement;
ii. that a revised five year Capital Programme would be considered at the
Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 13 March 2008;
APPROVED:-
iii. the accommodation projects at Knockbreck, Kilchuimen and Farr Primary
Schools; and
iv. that the Phoenix e1 implementation costs be met through the Capital
Programme.
5. Highland 2007 – Highlights and Legacy
There had been circulated Report No ECS-03-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which introduced the Highland 2007 Project Director who presented an overview of some of the highlights of “Scotland’s Year of Highland Culture” pending the full review of Highland 2007 which was to be received from the Centre for Cultural Policy Research in Glasgow University in July 2008. The report also presented a full listing of all grants awarded in support of the programme of celebrations across the Highlands and Islands.
The Project Director expressed her appreciation to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee, its Chairman and the staff of the Service, both past and present, for their support, ambition and guidance in helping to deliver Highland 2007. The Chairman also expressed Members’ gratitude to the Highland 2007 team for their dedication and hard work in delivering over 600 events during the year which would undoubtedly have a long lasting positive impact on the Highlands.
The Committee NOTED:-
i. the programme and the content of the presentation by the Project Director;
ii. that the full evaluation of Highland 2007 would be presented to a future
meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee once the Centre
for Cultural Policy Research in Glasgow University had submitted its report in
July 2008;
iii. that the possible legacy budgetary implications would require to be
discussed as part of the Council’s wider budgetary process;
and AGREED:-
iv. that prior to July 2008, discussion be held with the Scottish Government,
Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Creative Scotland,representatives of the
community sector and other appropriate partners on the legacy of 2007 so
that appropriate management and administrative arrangements could be
considered.
6. Support for the Development of the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Ms J Douglas declared a non-financial interest in this item as a member of the Highlands Awards Project Committee but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraph 5.18 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that her interest did not preclude her involvement in discussion.
There had been circulated Report No ECS-04-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the current operation of the Duke of Edinburgh Award in Highland. It outlined proposed changes and recommended the resultant resource and staffing implications. If adopted, these changes would better allow the Council to meet the obligations of its Operating Licence.
The Committee AGREED:-
i. to transfer the development of the Duke of Edinburgh Award to the Council,
at no additional cost; and
ii. the staffing structure as detailed in the report.
7. Sport and Activity Working Group
There had been circulated Report No. ECS-05-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which recommended the establishment of a Member/Officer Working Group to look at a number of issues in sport and activity linked to the Programme for Administration. The report further suggested a remit for the Working Group and asked the Committee to appoint a Chair and Member representatives.
In discussion, the importance of play in encouraging children to be active was recognised and it was vital that this too was incorporated into the remit of the Working Group.
The Committee AGREED:-
i. to establish a Member/Officer Working Group to look at sport and activity
provision in Highland;
ii. that the Working Group’s remit be expanded to include reference to the
importance of play activity, linking the Council’s Play Policy, Strategy and Play
Development Officer to the work of the Working Group;
iii. the remit be as follows:
- to draft a plan for sport responding to “Reaching Higher” and for maximising participation in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in both Highland representation in the Scottish and possibly other teams, and for volunteers and community participation.
- to draft a multi-agency plan to increase activity in Highland and to promote active lifestyles. This would review the many actions on promoting activity across various strategies and plans in Highland and seek to bring coherence to these, rather than simply replicate work already done.
- review the provision of leisure facilities in Highland and develop a draft facilities plan maximising opportunities for all, including options for ensuring that elite athletes could access facilities in preparation for the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.
- to report regularly to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on progress and to bring one or more final reports to Committee for discussion and approval.
iv. to appoint Mr B Gormley (SNP) as Chairman and Mr W Fernie (Ind), Ms J
Douglas (Ind), Mr A M Millar (Lib Dem) and Mrs E McAllister (Lab) to sit on
the Working Group.
8. Healthy Living Centres Funding Update
There had been circulated Report No. ECS-06-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport updating Members on the funding position of the three Healthy Living Centre projects in the Council’s area and which outlined various options for the future.
The Committee:-
i. NOTED the funding position of the three Healthy Living Centres operating in
the Council’s area and the work currently ongoing at a national and local level
to sustain their work;
ii. AGREED the options for the future as detailed in the report including the
broadening of the remits as required of the Jannie’s Hoose and Healthways;
iii. AGREED to the submission of Big Lottery Fund applications on behalf of
the Jannie’s Hoose and Healthways;
iv. AGREED to delegate to the Director of Education, Culture and Sport
authority to decide on the necessary split of the Council’s £100k as its
match funding for the purposes of the two Big Lottery applications; and
v. NOTED that, should the options for future funding prove impossible, a
further report be submitted to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee
on 13 March 2008.
9. Library and Information Service Policy
There had been circulated Report No ECS-07-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which proposed revisions to the currently adopted library policy and associated guidelines to reflect the needs of the Programme for Administration and in line with best practice nationally.
The Committee AGREED:-
i. the revised Library and Information Service Policy;
ii. the policy for joint use in primary schools;
iii. that the guidelines set out be adopted as management rules for the library
service and that appropriate steps be taken for them to replace the existing
bye-laws; and
iv. the revised Acceptable Use Policy.
10. Duncraig Castle Educational Trust Scheme 1999
There had been circulated Report No ECS-08-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which recommended that Members approve a Plan in the required prescribed format for the exercise of the Council’s powers as Education Authority (and as such the governing body of the Trust) in relation to the award of scholarships, grants and assistance in terms of the Duncraig Castle Educational Trust Scheme 1999.
* The Committee AGREED to recommend to the Council that:-
i. the Plan of Scholarships, Grants and Assistance under the Duncraig
Educational Trust Scheme 1999 be approved subject to further
consideration of the upper age limit;
ii. to maintain the community element of the Trust, a Sub Committee be
established consisting of Members of the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and
Lochalsh ward and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Education,
Culture and Sport Committee to consider and dispose of grant applications
to the Trust within the terms of the Scheme; and
iii. the administrative arrangements for the distribution of awards under the
Scheme be approved.
11. Minutes of Meetings
There had been circulated and NOTED the Minutes of the Education Transport Appeals Committee held on 6 November 2007.
The meeting ended at 1.10 pm.