Issue - meetings

The Cabinet gave consideration to a report of the Managing Director of Children and Young People which sought formal approval for the receipt of section 31 grant funding to resource the Opportunity Area programme, to agree that the grant payments would be ring-fenced locally to the Opportunity Area programme and to note and endorse the recommended spending priorities identified in the Opportunity Area Plan.

Authorisation was also sought to delegate authority to agree all spending decisions related to the Opportunity Areas programme to the Director of Education, Skills and Early Years, after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and the Director of Finance, noting the role of the Opportunity Area Partnership Board in this process.

Oldham was one of twelve Opportunity Areas identified by the Department for Education (DfE), that have over the first 4 years of the programme received £90 million to boost opportunities for young people in these communities. The purpose of Opportunity Areas is improving social mobility, using education as a key driver to achieve this.

Oldham Opportunity Area had received approaching £8 million in funding from DfE in the first 4 years of the programme. In May 2021 the Minister confirmed that a further £1,339,000 will be available to the Oldham for year 5 of the programme Sept 21- Aug 22. The Oldham Opportunity Area year 5 plan details the spending priorities identified for Oldham for this period. This plan also included an additional £300,000 grant for the Early Identification of Autism project, and therefore projected expenditure within the plan totals £1.639m. It is important to note that in order to deliver the planned programme, some of the grant resource may be spent directly by the DfE rather than the Council.  Therefore, although Oldham will benefit from the full £1.639m, the Council will receive grant net of expenditure directly incurred by the DfE.

Option/alternatives considered

Considered at Item 19 of the agenda.

RESOLVED – That Cabinet would consider the commercially sensitive information contained at Item 19before making a decision.