Agenda item

a)  That the Assistant Director for Culture and Skills, following consultation with the Commissioner for Opportunity and Skills, be authorised to implement the shared service with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead with Slough as the lead authority, subject to there being no major changes to circumstances that significantly change the business case.

b)  That the Assistant Director for Culture and Skills be authorised to notify the Skills Funding Agency of the intention to proceed with a shared service and seek their agreement to implementation.

The Cabinet considered a report setting out proposals for a shared service with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to provide adult learning services.  The report summarised the findings of the outline business case for the proposal.

The Commissioner for Opportunity and Skills introduced the report and Assistant Director Culture and Skills advised that economies of scale, flexibility, and the reduced management and administration costs that were associated with the shared service would enable the Council’s to deliver the efficiency saving for adult learning in 2012/13 to 2013/14 with no loss of service. The Assistant Director set out the details of the costs that would fall to the council and the potential risks.  Commissioners welcomed the proposal for the two authorities to work together in a more efficient manner and that Slough would be the lead authority.

Resolved –

(a)  That the Assistant Director for Culture and Skills, following consultation with the Commissioner for Opportunity and Skills, be authorised to implement the shared service with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead with Slough as the lead authority, subject to there being no major changes to circumstances that significantly change the business case.

(b)  That the Assistant Director for Culture and Skills be authorised to notify the Skills Funding Agency of the intention to proceed with a shared service and seek their agreement to implementation.