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Question from: County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan Subject: School energy costs
Question:
With reports of one secondary school in England setting aside an additional 100k for energy bills; what assessment of extra energy costs has been made for Powys schools?
On that basis it would be at least an extra £1.3m for the 13 secondary campuses in Powys causing huge strain on our schools.
In view of the fact that schools budgets were set prior to the huge increases in energy costs; what extra financial assistance will be given to all schools to overcome this burden?
Minutes: Response by the Cabinet Member:
Information provided by PCC’s Energy Management Officer indicates that energy costs incurred by schools is likely to increase by an estimated £500,000 across all schools this year.
Further increases are expected next year and schools have been advised to budget for an increase in their costs in their school budgets and forward plans. The amount required will vary from school to school, dependent upon internal floor area and pupil numbers.
The budget for all council services for the 2022-23 financial year was set prior to the increase in energy costs being known so this is an authority wide issue that needs to be addressed collectively and consistently across the authority. That said, all schools received a significant level of additional funding in the last few months of the last financial year, which has contributed to the growth in school reserves at 31 March 2022. These increased reserves provide a buffer for schools for unexpected increases in expenditure such as these and there is an expectation that schools contribute towards these additional costs.
The impact of the increases in energy costs for future financial years will be considered as part of the budget setting process for 2023-24 forwards this Autumn.
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