Issue - items at meetings - Proposed Expansion of Somerhill Junior School

Report of the Director of Children’s Services (copy to follow).

1.       That the proposal to expand Somerhill Junior School by one form of entry from September 2011 be noted and endorsed.

2.       That the publication of the required Statutory Notice to progress this proposal be agreed.

3.       That the results from the statutory consultation process be referred to Cabinet Member Meeting in July 2009 for decision. 

104. 1The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services, concerning the proposed expansion of Somerhill Junior School. The report set out the background and the rationale for the proposal and sought endorsement for proceeding to the next stage of the statutory process, which was the publication of the required statutory notice (for copy see minute book).

104.2  The Schools Futures Project Directorindicated that it was sensible to run the statutory notices for Davigdor Infant and Somerhill Junior Schools in parallel. He explained that the importance of this parallel process was that if both proposals were agreed, both would proceed; however, if one was refused, both would fail. He indicated that the publication of the statutory notice, which was currently being sought, would allow a further four weeks of consultation.

104.3 The Opposition Spokesperson for the Labour Group welcomed the proposal and recorded her satisfaction to the way that officers were conducting the process and involving the planning department in it. She thought this was a sensible move in order to avoid the faults made in the past.

104.4  RESOLVED – That, having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Cabinet Member accepted the following recommendations:

(1)      That the proposal to expand Somerhill Junior School by one form of entry from September 2011 be noted and endorsed.

                    (2)      That the publication of the required Statutory Notice to progress this proposal be agreed.

(3)      That the results from the statutory consultation process be referred to Cabinet Member Meeting in July 2009 for decision.