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Published Delegated Executive Decisions

Welcome. This system contains information about published delegated executive decisions, including exemptions.

Decision Number: 0158 2013/14

Executive Portfolio:
Regeneration, Housing, Planning and Community Safety
Decision Number:
0158 2013/14
Exempt / Confidential Item:
No
Ward(s) Affected:
All Wards
Declarations of Interest Received:
None
Title:
Adult community & Learning annual review of fees and charges
Summary of Decision:
To seek approval for ACL fees and charges for 2013/14
Proposed Decision:
To increase fees for First Aid at Work courses and introduce differential fees for internal and external clients thus: First Aid Programme current charges 2013/14 proposed charges 2014/15 Internal fee External fee First Aid at Work (3 days) £140 £154 £161 Emergency First Aid at Work (1 day) £60 £66 £69 Requalification course (2 days) £110 £121 £127 Refresher course £35 £38 £40 AED Defibrillator training (New offer) £40 £45 No concessions available To maintain existing charges of: £75 for Paediatric first aid course (2 days) £5 annual registration fee for all non-first aid courses, both free and charged-for, plus: £60 fee for all 10-week fee-paying courses £30 fee for all 5-week fee-paying courses Concessions available for these courses - see attachment for detail.
Summary of Reason for Decision:
Supporting provision of additional courses,bringing prices in line with external providers, contributing to the SFA "Pound Plus" strategy.
Reason for Decision:
Increased fees will support the provision of further courses, responding to demand and course development across Adult & Community Learning. They will also bring prices closer to those charged by external providers. Differential pricing allows greater income to be generated from external clients whilst other Council Departments benefit from quality teaching at a lower cost than extenal clients. Other charges were increased last year, and even with concessions, experience shows that any further increase in those fees at the moment would be a significant barrier to participation for many people. ACL is funded by the Skills Funding Agency, who have issued new guidance: "A 'Pound Plus' strategy for providers: the Pound represents the public pound. The plus is everything else that providers can generate in addition to their funding allocation: fee income and funding from other sources, resources in kind, other sources of revenue/sponsorship/funding. Pound Plus strategies are designed to generate additional resources and learners, over and above what was available and achieved last year. The Agency will ask community Leaerning providers how they are 'adding' to their allocation in order to achieve their objectives."
Risks Associated with this Decision:
Risk of exclusion of disadvantaged people by setting of fees
Measures to Redress Risk:
All charges run a risk of excluding those who would wish to participate but who cannot afford to do so. This risk is mitigated by maintaining some free courses, particularly those supporting community cohesion, keeping some prices, and by utilising surplus from First Aid at Work courses to provide concession to people on charged-for courses. The fees for First aid at Work courses will be paid by organisations, not individuals.
Anti Poverty / Human Rights / Agenda 21 Implications:
Attachments:
Please Contact Keith Patterson - Ext 7487 for more details.