Approval to allocate
£523,040 capital funding to implement the Repairs and
Maintenance (R&M) Programme for the maintained school estate
held by Torbay Council.
The Local Authority
(LA) receives a dedicated Schools Condition Allocation (SCA) direct
from central government for the purpose of maintaining and
repairing the school estate. This funding is to ensure that the
buildings and site are safe and comply with the latest regulations.
Suitable projects for inclusion in the R&M Programme are
identified in a priority order using the latest condition survey
data; only projects above the school’s de-minimus are eligible, any below are funded by the
school with devolved funding.
The works in this
year’s programme are a mixture of stabilising the fabric of
buildings, bringing mechanical and electrical components up to
current regulations and installing energy efficient solutions to
support the Council’s pledge to become carbon neutral.
The programme will be
funded solely through the SCA. This funding is ring fenced and the
LA currently has a carry forward of £100,000 from 2025/26 and
an allocation of £590,826 for 2026/27.
This is the only
capital funding available to the LA to ensure the accommodation at
maintained schools remains open and fully operational. The LA will,
therefore, be retaining a healthy reserve available for any
unforeseen issues and to act as an overall contingency for the
R&M Programme as the costs provided are indicative budgets
provided by property professionals. The works have not been
tendered at this stage.
As the programme of
works progresses and costs are confirmed; the LA will commission
additional projects using any savings and any unallocated
contingency. This spending will be delegated to the Head of
Education except for works above £100,000 which will be
referred to the Divisional Director of Education for approval.
The LA has 3 years in
which to spend SCA funding and officers ensure that this rule is
not breached.
