Minutes of the meeting of the Corporation Board held on
Tuesday 8 July 2014 at 5.00 pm in
Room 417, Ellesmere Port Campus
Present:
Nigel Davies
Steve Davies
Andrew Firman
Phil Grey
Francis Kwateng
Lynn Hardwick
Myles Hogg
Phil Millward
Simon O’Leary
David Rowlands
Christine Russell
Lynn Thompson
Joanne Tracey
Principal
Staff Member
Independent Member
Staff Member
Independent Member
Independent Member
Independent Member
Independent Member
Independent Member
Independent Member
Independent Member
Independent Member
Independent Member
In
Attendance:
Hari Khurmi
Caroline Fidmont
Interim Director of Finance
Vice Principal Quality &
Standards
Clerk to the Corporation
Deputy Principal
Vice Principal Business
Development
Richard Hinde
Adrian Humphreys
Helen Nellist
The meeting started at 5.00pm.
1.
Apologies
Action
Apologies were received from Chris Haslam, Phil Millward and Sue
Yates.
2.
Declarations of Interest
None
3.
Minutes of the meeting of the Board Committee held on 30
April 2014 and any Matters Arising
The minutes are not currently available.
4.
Minutes of the meeting of the Operations Committee held on
12 June 2014 and any Matters Arising
The minutes were agreed as a true and correct record. There were no
matters arising not dealt with elsewhere on the agenda.
5.
Minutes of Audit Committee held on 17 June 2014
The minutes were agreed as a true and correct record. There were no
matters arising not dealt with elsewhere on the agenda.
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Action
6.
Learner Support Fund Policy 2014/15
The Student Support Fund provides financial support for learners whose
household income is low and/or they are in receipt of means tested
benefits. The funding is vital to remove barriers to education, enabling
the less well-off to succeed academically and is a significant factor in
helping learners to remain in education.
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-01): The Board resolved to note
the Learner Support Fund Policy
7.
Student End of Course Survey 2013-14
The purpose of the report was:



To inform Governors of the results of the 2013/14 student end of –
year survey
To compare results against previous student surveys
To identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement
It was noted that the responses to most questions are in the lower
quartiles which indicate a high level of dissatisfaction from students.
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-02): The Board resolved to note
the Student End of Course Survey
8
Appointment of Student Governor
The Corporation approved the appointment of the new Student Governor
– Sarah Wiggins.
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-03): The Board resolved to
approve the appointment
9.
Principal’s Update
With the approach of the end of the 2013-14 academic year; the College
has many strengths to highlight and celebrate, however it has also
experienced some key challenges.
A number of emerging themes were captured within the Principal’s
Report; ranging from financial management, property developments and
quality improvement. SLT has responded to immediate themes over the
past few months meaning some key aspects have already been
implemented, whilst others are still being working towards.
There are key areas of development and challenge and the need to
bring about further important improvements; by revisiting the strategic
framework and financial forecasts. This has resulted in an increased
need for the College to be robust, rigorous and active in its approach.
There are a number of underpinning strands which include improving
student performance; improving financial health and performance;
reviewing human resource arrangements; the suitability of
accommodation and location of curriculum and the need to attract more
students.
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Action
The College was inspected by Ofsted in March and is in the final stages
of an efficiency drive with the Building for our Future consultation
programme. Risks were captured within the Risk and Impact Register
and Dashboard and Governors receive regular updates on progress
which will mitigate risk and impact.
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-04): The Board resolved to note
the report
10.
Management Accounts
Year to date the College is £453k lower than the profiled budget.
The College is forecasting that it will outturn a deficit position of £1.695m
as compared to the original deficit budget of £922k; an adverse variance
of £768k.
The negative movement to the original budget is due to £300k additional
costs of redundancy which amounts to £600k in total, additional delivery
costs in respect of ESF Skills support for workforce project and shortfalls
in apprenticeship delivery for 16-18 year olds and adults.
These have been partly offset by better than expected staffing savings
against budget due to the controls within the College on vacancies. The
College is anticipating generating staffing savings of £451k against
budget.
The key financial risks are:
 Successful delivery of the adult skills contract including
apprenticeships
 Successful delivery of the ESF skills support for the workforce
contract
 Uncertainty over the BAM claim settlement
 The need to restructure the College’s borrowing arrangements
including banking covenants
The forecast cash outflow the College faces over the year indicates the
Current Ratio will reduce to below 1.0. This would reduce the current
financial health score of “satisfactory” to “inadequate” if no restructuring of
borrowing arrangements is carried out.
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-05): The Board resolved to note
the Management Accounts
11.
College Budget 2014/15 and Three Years Financial Forecast
2014/17
The Board was requested to approve the following points:
1. The approval of the deficit budget of £501k for 2014/15.
2. The submission of option 2 of the financial forecast to allow for a
timely financial recovery plan.
3. The need to generate further staffing savings of £450k.
4. Delegated authority for the Chair and Principal to refinance
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Action
borrowings with the bank, if required.
5. Explore and carry out benchmarking on key financial and
accommodation ratios
6. Approve the strategic financial objectives within the paper.
The Governors were reminded that this paper is strictly confidential due to
commercially sensitive information contained.
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-06): The Board resolved to
approve the College Budget 2014/15 and the Three Years
Financial Forecast 2014/17
12.
Committee Membership
The Board agreed the membership of the Committees and Corporation.
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-07): The Board resolved to
approve the Committee Membership
13.
Calendar of Governance Meetings 2014/15
The Board agreed the Committee Meeting dates, with the exception of
Operations Committee which will meet more often. The Clerk will update
and circulate the Calendar of Governance Meetings 2014/15.
Clerk
Governor Development dates will be confirmed shortly.
Clerk
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-07): Subject to the amendments,
the Board resolved to approve the Calendar of Governance
Meetings 2014/15
14.
AoB
 Fees Policy addendum
After the approval of the Fees Policy for 2014-2015 a small number of
addendums have been made which include:
- An identified FT FE fee for International Students of £4950 per
annum, inclusive of exam fees
- Clarification for fee remission for first full level 2, must be aged
under 24
- Cost of second year for HE students on a two year programme,
fees are not inflated higher than 3.34% compared to their first year
fee.
RESOLVED: (Board 08/07/14-08): The Board resolved to
approve the Fees Policy addendums
Date of Next Meeting
Thursday 23 October 2014 at 5.00pm.
The meeting closed at 7pm.
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Action
Signed (Chair):
Name:
Date:
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