Agenda item

(Report by Mr G Ward, Director, Capital Programme & Infrastructure and Mrs S Hohler, Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education Directorate)

(1)         The Committee considered a report that provided an update on the Authority’s current progress with its BSF Programme, which Kent entered in September 2005 with an estimated overall capital allocation, provided the Programme lasted to the end, of £1.8 billion. 

(2)         Mr Ward gave a detailed presentation using overheads (as attached to these Minutes) and played a DVD on BSF.  He advised that the driving force was to have building facilities for secondary education fit for the 21^st  Century, putting learning first and being the centre of the community.  Members noted that a video on BSF was also available to watch on Kent TV.

(3)         Members were given the opportunity to make comments and ask questions which included the following:

(4)          In response to questions by Mr Pugh, Mr Ward advised that the first BSF contract was drawn up in 2008 for the first Local Education Partnership schools in; Gravesham, Swale, Thanet and two in Canterbury Coastal, the contract gave exclusivity to the partner to deliver those schools.  In Wave 3 there were ten schools being constructed at present, which were all on schedule.   In Wave 4 they had been issued to the Local Education Partnership (LEP) to take up the schemes to be developed had be made, the process was outlined in appendix 2 of the report.  A letter had now been received from the LEP indicating a willingness to take them up.  The contract should reach closure at the end of the summer next year and the facilities would come on line in 2013.  Discussions were due to start with the Projects for Schools (PfS) about starting on Wave 6 of the programme but this would be dependent on what happened in the general election in 2010.

(5)         Mr Ward respond to a further question by Mr Pugh advising that up until two years ago the Academies were dealt with by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and a sponsor.  KCC was a sponsor and had no more involvement.  Then PfS was given the whole remit to look after the BSF and the Academy Programme.  Since then KCC was responsible for the physical delivery of the building, funding was made available to KCC as the Local Education Authority, it was KCC’s responsibility to deliver the building to the Academy Trust and KCC effectively license them to occupy the buildings and the use of the land on a lease of 125 years. In the case of Sheppey because it was in the LEP1 patch a decision was made that it would be picked up through the BSF oppose to going elsewhere with a contractor and it was in Wave 4.  Mr Ward advised that there was an error in the report indicating that the 2 sites in Sheppey were in Wave 6 this should be altered to read Wave 4.

(6)    RESOLVED that the comments and questions by  Members  and the progress of the BSF programme in Kent be noted.