Issue - meetings

Further to Minute No. 38, of the Cabinet Meeting held on 27 July 2017, the Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Schools and Families in relation to the consultation on the proposed merger of South Sefton College and Hugh Baird College.  The report detailed the revised business plan which had been updated to take into account the current position and the revised financial implications for the Council.

Decision Made:    That the Cabinet:

(1)            note the latest position on the merger of South Sefton College with Hugh Baird College as recommended by the Liverpool City Region Area Review of post 16 education and training institutions contained in the report; and the reduced student numbers;

(2)            note the commitment of Hugh Baird and South Sefton Colleges towards the merger in agreeing a memorandum of understanding to enable joint working in anticipation of the formal merger;

(3)            note that the alternative to progressing the merger would be closure which would have an adverse impact on students, staff and affect educational opportunities for young people in the south Sefton area;

(4)            agree the revised financial implications associated with the merger with Hugh Baird as set out in the report and authorise Officers to finalise the merger with Hugh Baird and South Sefton College as soon as practicable; and

(5)            note that the proposal was a Key Decision but had not been included in the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions.  Consequently, the Leader of the Council and the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children’s Services and Safeguarding) had been consulted under Rule 27 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution, to the decision being made by Cabinet as a matter of urgency on the basis that it was impracticable to defer the decision until the commencement of the next Forward Plan because the merger needed to take place before the end of term to avoid further uncertainty and increasing cost.