Minutes:
Council
received a Statement by the Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Culture on
the Welsh Government’s funding for the Minority Ethnic Achievement
Service/Gypsy Traveller (MEAS/GT).
The
Cabinet Member advised that during last years’ budget setting process Welsh
Government (WG) had excluded support for MEAS/GT as eligible expenditure under
the Education Improvement Grant. The
Authority had been advised that the grant had been transferred into the
RSG. The WLGA had maintained that the
sum was unaccounted for in the settlement, resulting in a £12m shortfall in
funding for this group of pupils.
Following
lobbying a sum of £7.5m had been made available during 2018/19 to 4 urban
authorities, with a view to establishing a regional service. This to date had not been achieved. As a result, in May 2018 a further £1.2m was
made available to the remaining 18 local authorities, resulting in £85.5k for
Neath Port Talbot.
It
was assumed that Neath Port Talbot would receive the same level of funding in
2019/20. As a result of the regional
services not being progressed at this time, the Authority has no alternative
but to reduce service provision in accordance with the grant available.
Approval
had been received to reconfigure the service resulting in the provision of the
services being at grant threshold only and the staff concerned being placed on
the ‘at risk’ register.
The
cessation or reduction of the Traveller Education Service and the MEAS provision
will have a detrimental impact on the cohort of pupils, families, staff and
communities, which ultimately could place increased pressures on the
Authority’s Inclusion Service, Social Services, Health and Education Welfare
Officers, etc.
The
Authority would continue to lobby Welsh Government and it was hoped that the
regional service would be established.