Decisions

To provide the organisation with the Digital technology and infrastructure to enable the ongoing transformation for both our
workforce and citizens.

Approval to 'draw down' the next stage of approved provisional funding for the Council's Digital transformation programme.

The capital requires approval to allow the purchase and installation of a new recycing material baler and associated sort line at the Ashmead Road Recycling Depot

To fully approve capital amounting to £350k from the 2019/2020 provisional capital programme item "Waste Baler"

The Council retains the legal responsibility for pupil place planning and has a statutory duty (under section 14 of the Education Act 1996) to provide sufficient school places in its area. In order to achieve this the Council's priority is to ensure there is sufficient provision of school places in the right areas to meet need. These places can be delivered within community, academy, free school, voluntary controlled and voluntary aided schools.

Hayesfield Girls' School will carry out a capital project to extend their dining facilities and refectory area. The project will enable the School to permanently increase their Planned Admission Number from September 2019. The increase in pupil numbers at Hayesfield Girls' School will enable the Council (as part of the phased approach to increase secondary provision across Bath) to meet the shortfall of places.

To fully approve capital amounting to £388,000 from the 2019-20 provisional capital programme item Schools Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) for Education in Bath. Funding to be allocated to Hayesfield Girls' School to carry out a capital project and permanently increase their Planned Admission Number (PAN) from 210 to 240 from September 2019.

Under section 14 of the Education Act 1996 Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient schools for primary and secondary education in their areas. In order to achieve this the Council's priority is to ensure there is sufficient provision of school places in the right areas to meet needs. These places can be delivered within community, academy, free school and voluntary aided schools.

S106 contributions are received by the Council from Developers for housing development in an area. The S106 contributions that are the subject of this Officer Delegated Decision are received by the Council to expand or enhance primary school provision in any existing primary school serving the area of the development or providing new primary school places in the area of the development.

Allocating S106 contributions amounting to £89,434.86 received by the Council to Clutton Primary School will enable the school to carry out projects to expand and enhance their accommodation and increase their capacity from 147 to 175 allowing a permanent Planned Admission Number (PAN) of 25 across all year groups.

The project will enable local children to attend their nearest village school.

To fully approve capital amounting to £89,434.86 received by the Council in S106 Developer Contributions to be allocated to Clutton Primary School to enable the school to carry out capital projects which will enable them to increase their capacity from 147 to 175 pupils.

This was the introduction of a new process of annual 3 yearly dbs checks.
A significant number of taxi drivers (88) had applied late for their dbs checks and so were still in the system.
These taxi drivers provided dbs certificates in accordance with the previous policy.
This decision has been taken exceptionally as this is a new process, will only apply to 2019 renewals and no further extensions will be granted.
The Cabinet Member was consulted on the decision and the Chair of Licensing Committee was advised.

Following correspondence from a large number of drivers, a decision has been made by the Corporate Director that a maximum one-off extension until 30 April 2019 should be provided to those drivers who are currently awaiting confirmation of DBS checks. This will apply to those drivers who have an existing DBS certificate in place (whilst recognising that this will not have been issued in the last 30 days) and have a current DBS application in the system awaiting authorisation.
This decision has been taken as this is a new process and will only apply to 2019 renewals. It will not be agreed for any future renewal periods, as drivers should have applied for their DBS checks in good time or have enrolled for the online DBS checking facility.
Those who have outstanding DBS checks should make an appointment through Council Connect on 01225 394041 to obtain a new licence with an expiry date of 30 April 2019. If a fee of £80 has already been paid then no further fee will be required at this time.
When a DBS certificate is received, a further renewal appointment by contacting the Licensing Office directly should be made. At this point, a new licence will be issued, subject to a satisfactory DBS check, until 28 February 2022. A fee of £80 will be required at this point.
If a satisfactory DBS check is not available within the period up until 30 April 2019, then a renewal application will be accepted but will not be determined until a satisfactory DBS is received.

The strategic site is Bath City’s largest allocated housing site and is a central plank of the Authority’s 5 year Housing Supply. The future phases have substantial forecast housing outputs and Homes England grant funding support, but before housing delivery can commence, significant site enabling works must be carried out which currently render the scheme commercially unviable. Homes England grant funding has been provisionally approved to unlock the scheme and close the viability gap.

The scheme is unable to progress without prior resolution of the funding gap; however owing to the nature of the enabling works, key critical order dates need to be met to maintain the overarching scheme programme. Delays to Homes England’s programme has resulted in delays in grant award and entering the contract, which in turn has pushed funding commitment dates beyond those needed to meet the critical path; a short-term loan is therefore required to enable works to progress.

A decision has been taken for the Council to intervene by delivering a market loan facility to cash flow finance the scheme and enable critical dates to be met until grant funding is contracted upon. An urgent decision was made in November 2018 to guarantee a loan from capital contingency should the funding application from the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) be unsuccessful.

Since then approval has been granted by the West of England LEP that headroom within an extant Council Revolving Infrastructure Fund (RIF) business case can be utilised to deliver the required loan up to £1.4M. In line with State aid compliance requirements this loan is to be contracted with an interest rate of 4.75%. The LEP have accepted security for the loan by way of a Parent Company Guarantee for the first tranche of £0.35M, and a charge on the developer’s land asset for the remaining £1.05M. This security mechanism structure has been devised to meet the timeframe constraints needed to maintain the critical order path, and be achievable in respect of the developer’s Board approval process. Temporary loan arrangement agreed for a maximum term of 4 years.

The decision will move a provisional capital budget to full approval (within the capital programme envelope of £1.4M) enabling delivery of a market loan. Decision taken to transact a £1,400,000 market loan in two tranches to a property developer in order to maintain the housing delivery programme at a key strategic housing site in Bath through an officer delegated decision to move a Provisional Capital allocation from BWR Phase 2 to a Full Allocation. An earlier decision in November 2018 guaranteed the first tranche of the loan pending a decision by the LEP.

The Council retains the legal responsibility for pupil place planning and has a statutory duty (under section 14 of the Education Act 1996) to provide sufficient school places in its area. In order to achieve this the Council's priority is to ensure there is sufficient provision of school places in the right areas to meet need. These places can be delivered within community, academy, free school, voluntary controlled and voluntary aided schools.
Basic Need (BN) grant is allocated to the Council from the Department for Education (DfE) on an annual basis. The funding is allocated to support the provision of sufficient school places and the statutory duty of the Council.
The strategic requirement is to expand Peasedown St John Primary (PSJ) to take a further 105 pupils. The number on roll will increase from 525 to 630. The school expansion is required due to population growth and housing development in the area. PSJ is an academy and part of the Dragonfly Trust.
The capital project to expand the school will provide the school with the accommodation it needs to operate as a 630 place primary serving the local community.
Failure to provide sufficient places in the right areas will result in the Council failing in its statutory duty; parents and children being required to travel out of their locality to attend another school; increased transport (revenue) costs and schools being unable to take local children.

To fully approve capital amounting to £2,831,000 from the provisional capital programme item in the 2018-19 Council Budget Report (Annex 5(i)). Unallocated Schools Basic Need Grant and £200,000 Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) provisionally approved to support the expansion of Peasedown St John Primary School.

The Council retains the legal responsibility for pupil place planning and has a statutory duty (under section 14 of the Education Act 1996) to provide sufficient school places in its area. In order to achieve this the Council's priority is to ensure there is sufficient provision of school places in the right areas to meet need. These places can be delivered within community, academy, free school, voluntary controlled and voluntary aided schools.
Basic Need (BN) grant is allocated to the Council from the Department for Education (DfE) on an annual basis. The funding is allocated to support the provision of sufficient school places and the statutory duty of the Council.
Ralph Allen School will build a new eight classroom teaching block to enable them to increase their Planned Admission Number from 180 to 210 from September 2019. In addition the School will admit an extra 30 pupils making their PAN 240 over a three year period between the academic years 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24. This increase in pupil numbers will enable the Council (as part of the phased approach to increase secondary provision across Bath) to meet the shortfall of places for the projected high numbers in these years.
Failure to provide sufficient places in the right areas will result in the Council failing in its statutory duty; parents and children being required to travel out of their locality to attend another school; increased transport (revenue) costs and schools being unable to take local children.

To fully approve capital amounting to £2,250,000 from the provisional capital programme to be allocated to Ralph Allen School to carry out a school expansion project and increase their Planned Admission Number (PAN) from 180 to 210 from September 2019. In addition the School will admit to a PAN of 240 in a three year period from 2021 to 2023.