Agenda item

The Leader presented the next report to Cabinet. The Council was nearing the end of its Sustainable Communities for Learning Band B programme, which already delivered significant projects.

The Leader asked that Cabinet focus on the next wave of investment under this scheme, and to support this, the Leader was pleased that Welsh Government extended its financial commitment to supporting projects at a 65% intervention rate. Despite the challenges facing the Council, the scheme therefore represented an excellent opportunity to invest in its school buildings.

The Strategic Outline Programme for the next 9-year rolling programme of investment needed to be submitted to Welsh Government for consideration by 31 March 2024. This report therefore asked Cabinet to consider whether the identified investment objectives were appropriate and should be supported.

The overall programme was driven by strategic aims such as reducing poor quality school accommodation, ensuring a sufficiency of school places, creating additional Welsh-medium places and pathways, and delivering carbon-neutral buildings. If approved, the 9-year programme would provide new and replacement education facilities at Millbrook Primary School and Caerleon Comprehensive School and would support the opening of two developer-led schools in the east of the city. It was designed to ensure the long-term sufficiency of secondary school places, to grow the Welsh-medium education offer, and to support learners with Additional Learning Needs.

The estimated value of the programme is £110M, and with Welsh Government providing 65% match funding, this required a Council commitment in the region of £38.5m over 9 years.

Comments of Cabinet Members:

§  Councillor Davies highlighted the importance of the report as it worked towards developing the rolling programme and would improve schools in Newport. The 9-year rolling programme would see funding from WG of 65%, which went a long way towards building the new school in Bettws. This was a fantastic achievement for the children in Bettws. There was a specific focus on new education facilities to replace poor quality facilities and it was important to ensure adequate provision for both English- and Welsh-medium schools. The Council intended to expand the provision for children on the autism spectrum, with plans to provide an additional 40 places on an identified site in Newport. In this instance, WG would provide funding of 75%. Commitment to the reduction of carbon footprint is a key priority, and the programme intended to deliver net zero new builds, as part of the plan going forward. There is an estimated value of £110M, as mentioned by the Leader, with a spending commitment of £38M from the Council. This is an exciting opportunity, and it is important to get this right for the future of the children of Newport. As a listening council, future consultations and discussions at Scrutiny would take place as these plans evolved to support effective decision-making.

§  Councillor Harvey supported the Deputy Leader’s comments and mentioned the secondary school within her ward, which supports learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Councillor Harvey pupils deserved to have what the Council was providing for them.

Decision:

Cabinet agreed that the investment objectives upon which Newport City Council’s Sustainable Communities for Learning 9-year rolling programme was based on were appropriate, and the Strategic Outline Programme reflecting those objectives could be submitted to Welsh Government for consideration.