Decision details

Proposed decision –

As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, I agree to:

i)          Authorise the Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education to accept the Holiday Activity and Food Grant for 2023-24 (£5.56m) in full for use in accordance with the grant determination letter issued by the Department for Education and the relevant terms and conditions.

ii)         Authorise the Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education to accept future allocations of Holiday Activity and Food Grant in full for use in accordance with the grant determination letter which will be issued by the Department for Education and the relevant terms and conditions, provided these remain substantially the same as the current.

iii)        Delegate authority to Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education to manage and deploy the accepted Holiday Activity and Food Grant in accordance with the grant conditions and arrangements detailed in this report, including entering into contracts, grant agreements and any other legal agreements, and be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.

Reason for the decision

The Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) has been successfully delivered in Kent for the past two years, under the wider Reconnect: Kent Children and Young People Programme.  It has been growing in popularity with eligible families, and has provided an invaluable form of support during school holidays to children and young people who ordinarily receive benefits related free school meals.

The grant determination letter was received from the Department for Education on 20 December 2023, setting out the Authority’s funding allocation and the grant terms and conditions.  The grant needs to be accepted swiftly and authority delegated to enable the necessary arrangements to be made to deliver HAF provision during the Easter holidays, which commence 3 April 2023.

Preferred option

The preferred option is to accept the grant and to continue to delegate authority to the Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education to deploy the funding and manage arrangements in order to delivery Kent’s HAF programme.  The Education People are currently commissioned to manage the programme on behalf of the County Council and this arrangement will continue in the immediacy.

Consultation

The Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services has been consulted and supports acceptance of the grant and future service delivery.

As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, I agree to:

i)      Authorise the Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education to accept the Holiday Activity and Food Grant for 2023-24 (£5.56m) in full for use in accordance with the grant determination letter issued by the Department for Education and the relevant terms and conditions.

ii)    Authorise the Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education to accept future allocations of Holiday Activity and Food Grant in full for use in accordance with the grant determination letter which will be issued by the Department for Education and the relevant terms and conditions, provided these remain substantially the same as the current.

iii)   Delegate authority to Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education to manage and deploy the accepted Holiday Activity and Food Grant in accordance with the grant conditions and arrangements detailed in this report, including entering into contracts, grant agreements and any other legal agreements, and be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.