Lyndale School Consultation Meeting: Julia Hassall explains why Wirral Council are consulting on closure (Part 1)

Lyndale School Consultation Meeting: Julia Hassall explains why Wirral Council are consulting on closure (Part 1)

Lyndale School Consultation Meeting: Julia Hassall explains why Wirral Council are consulting on closure (Part 1)

                            

The last of the meetings concerning the consultation on closing Lyndale School was held in the hall at Acre Lane Professional Excellence Centre. There to answer questions people had were David Armstrong (Assistant Chief Executive), Julia Hassall (Director of Children’s Services), Andrew Roberts and Phil Ward (who was chairing the meeting). There was also a sign language interpreter called Sue March, however Phil Ward sent the sign language interpreter away as there was no one present (from the twenty-five or so others present at the start of the meeting) that indicated they needed sign language interpretation.

Labour’s Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services Councillor Tony Smith arrived about five minutes late to the meeting. He sat with the three officers, but didn’t take a part in answering the questions people had.

Julia Hassall said she was “pleased to see so many people” and that there had been some people who had been to all six meetings. She was giving the same introduction at each one, which was drawn from the consultation document (copies of which were available for people at the meeting). She described Lyndale School as a special school in Eastham for children with complex learning disabilities whose viability was compromised by a falling roll and a small number of children.

It was at this point that Councillor Tony Smith arrived.

She repeated a point she had made at a previous meeting, that the consultation on closure was nothing to do with standards of education at the school as the last OFSTED inspection in November 2012 had concluded that the school was good with many outstanding aspects. However in her view Wirral Council needed to get future provision right and in her view two other schools (Elleray Park and Stanley) were able to provide good quality education and care.

Ms Hassall said that the closure proposal was not linked to Wirral Council’s need to save money as any money saved would be used elsewhere, however they were under a duty to make sure there were sufficient school places. She referred to the Children and Young Peoples Plan and the Children and Families Act 2014 c.6. She said that the new legislation would improve the partnership between education and health as the care plan would detail how both education and health would meet the children’s needs in a joined up way.

She referred to the report to the Cabinet meeting of the 16th January when they had agreed to start the consultation and the other options that were being consulted on (she went through the options some of which other than closure were becoming a 2-19 school, federating with another school, co locating with another school, becoming a free school or academy). The full list of options are detailed in an appendix to the Cabinet report. Julia Hassall said that during the consultation all options and any new ones were being considered.

Continuing she told those present that the Cabinet decision of the 16th January had been called in and looked at again by the Coordinating Committee on the 5th February and 27th February. She said that the Coordinating Committee had recommended that the consultation start, which had begun on the 2nd April.

Since the consultation had begun, there had been three meeting in April, two already in June with this meeting being the last of the six. Issues that had been brought up previously were referred to. She said that they had to apply the SEN Improvement Test as any alternative had to be as good as or better than the current provision. Julia Hassall said that they had agreed to engage an independent consultant Lynn Wright (Ed – I am unsure of the exact spelling of this person’s name however this was what it sounded like Julia Hassall said) to offer advice how how they looked at the eight options, any new options and to assess how they applied the SEN Improvement Test. She said that Lynn Wright was not known to the officers prior to this and would produce a separate report with an independent view that would be included when Cabinet decided whether to proceed for a formal proposal.

If Cabinet decided to proceed to the next stage, then there would be a four week statutory representations period and if Cabinet finally approved to close the school it would close at the end of the summer term in 2015 and children at Lyndale would be transferred in September 2015. She wanted to stress that no decision had been made and they would take everybody’s views into account. Ms Hassall referred to someone called Janice who was taking notes on the front row. She continued by saying that small schools could go into financial deficit whereas larger schools had more flexibility and could spend a higher proportion on teaching and meeting children’s needs.

Every January they took a census of pupil numbers. There were 401 children attending nursery with complex learning difficulties and within this 401, sixty-four had profound and multiple learning difficulties. However the number of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties had been similar over the past four years and wasn’t a growing trend. She referred to the number of places at Elleray Park and how through discussions with the school and building work they planned to increase the places there to 110. Stanley School had moved from its former site to a purpose built school and in her view they could add a further five to ten more children there without an extension but could extend it if needed to give sufficient places. She referred to a meeting between the Chief Executive (Graham Burgess) and three parent governors and how there would be a further meeting on Friday (20th June). She then handed over to David Armstrong.

Continues at Lyndale School Consultation Meeting: David Armstrong explains why there’s a consultation and questions begin (Part 2).

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Wirral Council spent £10,320 with two different chambers of barristers in the last financial year

Wirral Council spent £10,320 with two different chambers of barristers in the last financial year

Wirral Council spent £10,320 with two different chambers of barristers in the last financial year

                          

Below is a list of what Wirral Council spent on barristers in the last financial year (2013-14) which comes at just over £10,000. Each amount is a total for the 2013-14 by chambers of barristers and is calculated from the lists of invoices over £500 that Wirral Council publish. It is possible the amounts are higher if there are invoices paid that were less than £500. This continues from Wirral Council spent £465,497.06 with six different firms of solicitors in the last financial year.

4-5 Grays Inn £720
Kings Chambers £9600

Total £10,320

Strangely, this doesn’t seem to include the £1,800 paid to Exchange Chambers for the services of Sarah O’Brien in the case involving the possession order for Fernbank Farm. The 2013-14 financial year goes to the end of March 2014, the fast track trial was in mid February, so it’s possible this payment appears in the next financial year.

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Wirral Council spent £465,497.06 with six different firms of solicitors in the last financial year

Wirral Council spent £465,497.06 with six different firms of solicitors in the last financial year

Wirral Council spent £465,497.06 with six different firms of solicitors in the last financial year

                          

Below is a list of what Wirral Council spent on solicitors in the last financial year (2013-14) which comes at just under half a million pounds. Wirral Council also employ fourteen in-house solicitors. Each amount is a total for the 2013-14 by firm of solicitors and is derived from the lists of invoices over £500 that Wirral Council publish. It is possible the amounts are higher if there are invoices paid that were less than £500. I’ve done a similar list for barristers in another blog post.

Anthony Collins Solicitors £17,570
DLA Piper UK £700
DWF LLP £11,584.38
Eversheds £236,990.13
Forshaws Davies Ridgway LLP £609
Weightmans LLP £198,043.55

Total £465,497.06

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4 Lib Dem councillors say “No, no, no” to Councillor Adrian “Father Christmas” Jones over £20,000 lease decision

4 Lib Dem councillors say “No, no, no” to Councillor Adrian “Father Christmas” Jones over £20,000 lease decision

4 Lib Dem councillors say “No, no, no” to Councillor Adrian “Father Christmas” Jones over £20,000 lease decision

                          

Leonora Brace (my wife) and Councillor Adrian Jones (as Father Christmas) in Birkenhead, Christmas 2013
Leonora Brace (my wife) and Councillor Adrian Jones (as Father Christmas) in Birkenhead, Christmas 2013

Liberal Democrat councillors have gathered four of the six signatures needed to “call in” Councillor Adrian Jones’ decision to agree to a £20,000 lease of office space at Birkenhead Fire Station for the Birkenhead Constituency Committee. Birkenhead Fire Station is leased to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service for the next thirty years. This is because it was built by a private developer under a private finance initiative scheme. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have told Wirral Council that the private developer will need £10,000 a year (over the two years of the lease) if Wirral Council were to lease office space in it. If the lease was agreed it would see Wirral Council being responsible for any costs and utilities of the office space on a pro-rata basis.

The four Lib Dem councillors are worried that “no other options have been considered” and express a view that there is available office space in Council owned buildings nearby. The Lib Dem councillors also ask for the criteria for choosing the location and whether it was just office space required or whether there was a requirement for public access too.

Should the Lib Dem councillors gather the six signatures required for a call in by the call in deadline on the 17th June, the decision will be looked at again by a special meeting of the Coordinating Committee. Since its former Chair Councillor Stuart Whittingham became Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, this committee is now chaired by recently re elected Councillor Moira McLaughlin. As the Coordinating Committee has a majority of Labour councillors on it, even if the Lib Dem councillors get the necessary support for a call-in, Councillor Adrian “Father Christmas” Jones is likely to have the last “ho, ho, ho” on the matter.

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Horses or 100 houses at Fernbank Farm? Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agrees to list it for housing

Horses or 100 houses at Fernbank Farm? Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agrees to list it for housing

Horses or 100 houses at Fernbank Farm? Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agrees to list it for housing

                               

Councillor Phil Davies and Graham Burgess at a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on the 13th June 2014
Councillor Phil Davies and Graham Burgess at a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on the 13th June 2014

Today was the second meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The agenda and reports can be read on Knowsley Council’s website. Item 19 was “Liverpool City Region Strategic Local Investment Plan (2014-17) Housing Sites” and had in its appendices a list of housing sites that are currently in the pre planning stage.

This particular entry in appendix 3 (which can be found on page 124 of the reports pack) caught my eye and is below.

Site Potential Total Units Comments
Moreton (Wirral) Approximately 100 dwellings Cabinet resolution on 7 November 2013 to defer decision for disposal until the outcomes of legal proceedings for the relocation of the existing tenant are known. A court order dated 13 February 2014 granted a Possession Order to the Council which provided tenant with six months to relocate. The Council has since offered to extend this period to 12 months from the date of the court order. No current resolution, however, to dispose of site.

The Cabinet resolution of 7th November 2013 in relation to Fernbank Farm was (3) the decision on land at Manor Drive be deferred and reconsidered at the next scheduled meeting of the Cabinet when the outcome of legal proceedings will be known. The legal proceedings didn’t deal with relocation of the existing tenants but merely Wirral Council’s claim for a possession order.

The court order dated 13th February 2014 gave twelve months, not six as stated in the report before the possession order had effect. The Council hasn’t “offered to extend this period to 12 months” as that’s the date in the court order!

A copy of the court order is below. So who wrote the comments in the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority report which got the history of what had happened so wrong?

Possession Order (February 2014)

Possession Order (February 2014)

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