Issue details

The Special Education Needs Team within Education and Skills has identified a need to provide additional accommodation at Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Special School (QE2) in Horsham to provide for the 120 pupils currently on roll. Over recent years additional pupils have been accommodated by the school but without the supporting investment in accommodation. Pupil numbers have increased from 85 in 2017 to 105 in 2019, rising again to 120 in 2021.

In July 2020 the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills approved the allocation of £1.4m to fund the provision of a three-class modular teaching block with ancillary accommodation to ensure the school could offer suitable facilities for the 105 pupils on roll at the time (decision ES02(20/21) refers). Due to an increase in construction costs through the procurement process it was determined that an increased budget would be required for the project.  Therefore a Change Request was submitted in August 2021 for £224,000, providing a total budget of £1.624m.

Following problems with the initial procurement process, Portakabin Ltd. was appointed in March 2022 to deliver the scheme, ready to be occupied in September 2022 (decision OKD60 (21/22) refers).  At that point, Portakabin provided an estimated budget cost.  Due to the exceptionally fast pace required for this project and further detailed design development taking place, Portakabin have now confirmed the projected project costs, which are higher than previously budgeted. This means that there is currently insufficient funding to cover the completion of the scheme.

The proposal to seek an increase to the budget was published in the Forward Plan on 26 July 2022.  However, the decision to allocate additional funding for this scheme is now urgent to enable the project to continue without delay, to achieve completion for September 2022 and to ensure the County Council meets its obligations under the contract. This will provide the Contractor with urgent assurance of contractual cover for the increased contract sum to avoid a suspension of the works. 

Due to the need for this decision to be determined as soon as possible the Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills, with agreement from the Director of Law & Assurance and having notified the Chairman of the Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Committee, is using the authority under Standing Order 5.21 to take this decision without the required 28 days’ notice in the Forward Plan.