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The Transforming Education Programme (TEP) could be added back into the Capital Portfolio, following an amendment to the upcoming budget debate.
The President of Education, Sport and Culture, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen continues to push for the post-16 campus to be built at Les Ozouets, the complete transformation of secondary school education and for The Guernsey Insititute to be completed.
The estimated cost of this would be £111milion and, if her amendment is successful, it would be added to the agreed capital investment portfolio.
She also wants the level of contingency agree for the portfolio – which was implemented following an amendment from Deputy Al Brouard – to be reduced from £30million to £20million. This would bring the total cost of the portfolio to £441million.
Pictured: The amendment has been seconded by Deputy Sue Aldwell.
The amendment comes just weeks after the States’ Assembly voted against P&R’s preferred option for funding future capital projects, which included the TEP as a priority.
The situation left ESC in somewhat of a holding pattern, without the money it needs to move the sixth form centre to Les Ozouets and develop the co-located campus with TGI.
Deputies Dudley-Owen and Aldwell say that “including TEP in the portfolio would allow the project to deliver the estimated savings.
“The programme has identified means of reducing the annual cost of Secondary and Further/Higher Education by between £1.1m and £1.4m in revenue cost, compared with the preceding cost of operating.
“Of this, a £220k saving has already been realised along with a further reduction of £365k which has been reinvested to support improved education provision. It should also be noted that a further saving of £300k to £600k will become available once the programme is completed and services centralised at the Les Ozouets Campus, along with £200k of cost avoidance in maintaining the existing outdated estate. Without the programme progressing delivery of savings would be challenging.”
The amendment is seeking funding from the Health Service Reserve and borrowing, in line with the decision made in the States chamber during the Funding and Investment Plan debate, with it offset by the savings it intends to provide via a completed Programme.
Policy and Resources budget policy letter has 14 amendments lodged against it so far, many attempting to increase or implement new revenue streams.
You can read the full amendment ONLINE.
Pictured top: Deputy Dudley-Owen.
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