Tories claim ‘inadequate’ Ofsted could cost Cheshire East up to £15m

The service was judged to be ‘inadequate’ overall after inspectors found the experiences and progress of care leavers to be inadequate.

And while Ofsted did acknowledge there had been some improvement since the last inspection, all other areas assessed were judged to ‘require improvement to be good’.

This, the Tories said, was why the council had probably under-estimated how much it would cost to implement the improvement plan it proposed to bring children’s services up to standard.

Cllr Janet Clowes (Image: Supplied)

At the meeting of the full council, where members were being asked to approve the improvement plan, Conservative group leader Janet Clowes said: “I don't have a problem with the plan itself.

“It is a good plan and I accept that it has been endorsed by outside agencies.

“My concern is with the finances and when Department for Education (DfE) itself identifies that where a council has an inadequate rating it can cost anything from £5m to £15m to actually solve that problem and put those services in that are required.

“We had one inadequate rating, the rest were ‘requires improvement’, so they too need investment, even if not to the same extent as our care leavers.”

She said the council had identified £2m which could be diverted to fund the plan.

“However, when it's being suggested that £5m to £15m is required, the question I have to ask is, is £2m going to be enough?”

Conservative councillors also questioned where the funding was coming from.

The council states, in its report, one source which may be available to part finance the improvements needed could be S106 planning agreements.

These are legal agreements between the council and developers to secure financial or other contributions to mitigate the impact of development.

Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Image: Cheshire East Council)

Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Con) who has a background in planning, said: “When S106 monies are raised, they are raised in respect of a specific spend.”

He said for education, this was for primary, secondary and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities).

“Any money currently held by this council in respect of the permissions which have been granted cannot be used for anything apart from those three,” said Cllr Gardiner.

The Knutsford councillor said he anticipated a ‘pushback’ from developers if the council tried this approach in future.

He also questioned whether there was enough money to employ all the extra social workers needed for the improvement plan.

Cllr Mark Goldsmith (Image: Cheshire East Council)

Wilmslow councillor Mark Goldsmith (Ind) said: “I believe this plan was put together in close conjunction with the DfE and their representative, so they seem comfortable with the expenditure levels.”

Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake (Macclesfield, Lab) said: “It’s a good plan, it’s been externally verified by both the LGA (Local Government Association) and DfE.”

Committee chair Carol Bulman (Lab) said: “Finances have always been tight and there’s never going to be enough money, but we know we have been under-funded for a long time.”

Cllr Carol Bulman (Image: Cheshire East Council)

She said the council needed to recruit extra people to make the plan work.

She added: “I do think this is an excellent plan. We have to do it.”

The vote was 39 in favour of approving the improvement plan and 29 councillors abstained.