Agenda item

The Committee to receive details of the Planning Consents for PFI Schools

Sue Bridge, Head of Planning, and Emma Arklay, Planning Policy Officer, reminded the Committee that this issue had been discussed at the October 2009 meeting of this Committee and it had become apparent that there were still issues that the Committee required details on.

Sue Bridge referred to her briefing note explaining that the County Council submitted applications in 2004/05 as part of the school review to change education in Northampton from a three tier to a two-tier system.  35 applications were considered and approved.  Of these, eight schools contained specific provision for community use agreements including sports development plans to be submitted and approved by the County Council.  The other schools in the PFI project do not have this condition attached.   

Sue Bridge added that as far as the remaining PFI schools are concerned, community access arrangements are as set out in the report to this Committee on 12^th October 2009 and the letter from Northampton Schools Ltd dated 18^th May. 

Northamptonshire County Council has previously advised that it has contractual arrangements with the PFI provider that the same arrangements apply to all 42 schools, which does give NBC a problem in reviewing its Playing Pitch Strategy as the contractual arrangements relating to community access to the facilities are unknown.  Therefore, the issues as set out in the report of 12^th October 2009 remain unresolved as a true picture of sports and playing pitches available for community use cannot be quantified.

The Council’s objections to the release of Kingsthorpe and Parklands schools will therefore be maintained until the whole question of access to the PFI playing pitches has been resolved.  The County Council’s agents have been advised of the position of both this Council and Sport England. 

The Council’s Planning Committee re-considered Bective School at its meeting on 12^th January 2010.  WNDC has been advised that the proposals for this site should make provision for on-site community facilities.

The Committee asked questions, made comment and heard: -

·        schoolbookers.com would not appear to have gone live.  It was last checked the week before the Committee meeting.

·        In response to a query whether NBC knows whether planning conditions are being adhered to, Sue Bridge advised that this is a matter for NCC’s Planning Department and Planning Committee. If the conditions were not being adhered to, it would have an impact upon NBC’s Playing Pitch Strategy.  It was noted that it would be easier to monitor if the school bookers site was working.

·        The Committee expressed its disappointment, adding that NCC should have put into place access agreements some years ago.  It has created a lot of work for NBC and is unfair for those not given the access.

·        Sue Bridge confirmed that NBC and Sports England are still maintaining their objections. This issue is going to have to be fully resolved before NBC can review its Playing Pitch Strategy.

Councillor Tony Clarke addressed the Committee, commenting that he appreciated the work that NBC’s Planning Department had done but he felt that this Committee needed  to be determined in taking this matter forward.  NBC is a member of the Northampton Town Learning Partnership, the Partnership was to draw up the Access Management Agreement – this had not been done.  All of the planning conditions were very clear in that affordability and deprivation was key.  NCC has a blanket approach through schoolbookers.com  - to apply for facilities at one price, for example an all weather pitch with changing rooms costs £76 to hire. Councillor Clarke felt that this did not take into consideration affordability or depravation.  He gave further examples of others being asked to pay commercial rates, adding that the Council has a duty to ensure that NCC looks at why it has not introduced separate Community Access Agreements for each of its schools.  The Committee is better informed now.  He referred to NCC taking all of the playing fields out and then putting back in when PFI created more facilities.   Councillor Clarke concluded his address by commented that there is still a lot of work for NBC to do on this.

It was suggested that this issue could be referred to the Northamptonshire Countywide Scrutiny Forum for resolving, for example to ensure that agreements have been actioned, without the school bookers system, it cannot be checked. The Chair undertook to ascertain whether this issue was within the criteria for Reviews carried out by the Northants Countywide Scrutiny Forum.

The Committee suggested that there is a need for this issue to be addressed with NCC, but the full support of all Parties is required. The status of Northampton Learning Partnership needs to be clarified.

AGREED:  (1)That the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 asks the Chief Executive, the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Community Engagement meets with the relevant parties at NCC regarding this issue and report back to a future meeting of this Committee.

                    (2) That the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 ascertains whether this issue was within the criteria for Reviews carried out by the Northants Countywide Scrutiny Forum.