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Question from: County Councillor David Jones Subject: Funding of lunch club deficits
Question:
The wording of the furlough scheme excludes many of our primary schools from being able to furlough breakfast club staff because many of them have other part time jobs within the school (lunchtime supervisors, cleaners etc). The scheme does not allow schools to furlough staff if part of their job is not “profit making”. This has resulted in lunch clubs having to pay their staff since our schools closed. Many clubs are showing a deficit. Schools cannot make up this shortfall. Will the county council make good this deficit or make representations to government that the deficit be met from central funds?
Minutes: Response by the Portfolio Holder:
The furlough scheme does prevent Schools and the Council from furloughing staff if they are continuing to work for the same employer, even if that is in another capacity, and many of the breakfast club staff were also undertaking other work for the authority including supporting the Emergency Childcare Hubs, and this is activity that does not generate an income stream.
The loss of income from breakfast clubs and after-school clubs has been included in survey responses to the WLGA to form part of local government’s evidence to the Welsh Government of the need for funding to support local authorities for a wide range of income loss. Welsh Government have agreed to fund some claims for income loss but many areas, including breakfast clubs, have yet to be agreed. Discussions are continuing and we’re hoping for greater clarity in the coming weeks.
We cannot make a blanket promise to make good all breakfast club deficits, as some were already in deficit, but we are actively working to find a fair solution to a number of similar financial consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic facing the Council, learning from other authorities where we can. Again we anticipate having a clearer picture in the coming month or so.
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