Decision details
Management of Herefordshire Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information and Advice Support Service (SENDIASS)
Decision Maker: Chief executive
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Purpose:
Herefordshire Council to form a collaborative
agreement with Worcestershire County Council under Regulation 12(7)
of The Public Contracts Regulations 2015, based on a
‘co-operative’ concept, for the delivery of the Special
Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support
Service (SENDIAS service) across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The participating authorities will co-operate to perform public
services they provide, meeting common objectives.
Section 113 of the Local Government Act 1972 allows a local
authority to enter into an agreement with another authority to
place its officers at the disposal of the other authority. Staff
who are made available under such an arrangement are able to take
binding decision on behalf of the body at whose disposal they are
placed, although they remain an employee of their original
authority for employment and superannuation purposes.
This enables the Worcestershire SENDIAS manager to manage SENDIAS
services across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The total
staffing cost to Herefordshire Council for delivering the service
including the management cost (£25,000) is £73,731 per
annum.
For Herefordshire SENDIAS staff this will stabilise management of
the service and will enable greater staff capacity due to alignment
of services across the two counties, whilst retaining a local
presence.
The decision will require both authorities to commit to the joint
performance management of the SENDIAS service.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be in place between the
two councils to set out each authority’s responsibilities, on
the understanding that there will be a three year agreement, to be
reviewed after year one. This will commence on 1st April
2020.
Contact: Alistair Neill, Chief executive Email: Alistair.Neill@herefordshire.gov.uk.
Publication date: 19/03/2020
Date of decision: 18/03/2020
Accompanying Documents: