The public consultation asks three sets of questions about:
- Reducing funding to schools
- Reducing the difference in funding between different types of schools
- Making changes to some council services.
The first set of questions is about the top-up funding to schools. This is because the majority of funding goes to schools, so making a change here would make the biggest difference.
The questions ask for views about reducing the amount of funding. We have provided some information about the level of funding schools in other similar Local Authorities get.
The consultation asks about making a 2% cut, a 5% cut or a 7% cut.
A 2% cut means a reduction of £2 in every £100
A 5% cut means a reduction of £5 in every £100.
A 7% cut means a reduction of £7 in every £100.
If the council makes a 5% or 7% cut, then a part of that money can be used to spend more on intervention in early years. For example providing more children with Speech and Language Therapy before they start school.
The second set of questions is about differences in funding to special schools and resource bases.
The third set of questions is about some of the services the council provides paid for by the High Needs Funding Block(HNFB). The council is seeking views on whether we should just provide a statutory service, more than a statutory service, or carry on spending at the current level and off-set some of the costs from other budgets.