Decision details

Proposed decision:

To reduce the value of the core contract with The Education People in 2023/24 by £0.4m through changes to the service specification.

Reason for the decision:

As part of KCC’s budget setting process discussions have taken place with TEP’s leadership to assess areas of efficiency.  Proposals for £0.4m of savings in 2023-24 have been received.  In summary these include:

The contract between KCC and TEP is currently subject to formal review by the Education Service and TEP Teams, in line with the contract terms.  This will ensure future service delivery reflects changes in the political and educational landscape, the needs of schools and the LA, and are delivered at a lower cost.  It is expected that through the TEP contract review further savings of £900k (2024/25) and £300k (2025/26) will be achieved. 

Options (other options considered but discarded):

The alternative to reducing the value of the TEP contract by £0.4m (3.6%) is to secure savings elsewhere in the Education Service budget.  Delivery of the MTFP savings (£0.9m) requires action in addition to the proposals in this paper.  The proposals represent a fair balance as to where savings are being made.

It is feasible to consider finding different savings from within the TEP contract to those included in the proposals.  However, the proposals offer savings where circumstances have changed and activity is no longer necessary, areas where responsibility for funding these should rightly fall to the school receiving the service, and areas which are believed to add least value. 

As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, I agree to: reduce the value of the core contract with The Education People in 2023/24 by £0.4m through changes to the service specification.