Education counts the cost of coronavirus
Dealingwithpandemicequalsoverspendofmorethan£12m
Coronavirus has cost education in South Lanarkshire more than £12 million.
Figures outlined to the council’s education committee on Tuesday, March 16, revealed the department was set to overspend its annual budget by £12.751m – with the majority of that down to the pandemic.
Finance manager Louise Harvey told the committee that the additional cost was down to “the ongoing costs around the enhanced cleaning regimes” as well as “additional education recovery teachers” and “the increased costs of supply teachers”.
As a result of the pandemic, the council have been able to make some savings such as a reduced spend on breakfast clubs and holiday lunch clubs, totalling just under £1m.
But it was nowhere near enough to offset the overall cost of the pandemic.
Ms Harvey said: “We continue to monitor and outline specific costs incurred in relation to the resources Covid spend to date.
“The Pupil Equity Fund spend is expected to be impacted by the restrictions schools are facing as a result of the pandemic.
“The forecast outturn for the resource to the end of March is an overspend of £12.75m.
“The forecast cost of Covid for the resource is £12.433m and this is the net effect of expenditure.
“It reflects additional education recovery teachers, support staff, the increased costs of supply teachers, expenditure incurred in the operation of the hubs during the initial lockdown, the costs of school mobilisation for August last year and also the ongoing costs around the enhanced cleaning regimes and health and hygiene including PPE.
“In addition, the resource is projecting an impact on some of our income and loss of income due to the pandemic of £564,000, which includes early learning and childcare fees, music tuition and nursery milk.”
Specific funding of £7.7m for some costs of the pandemic including for additional teachers, PPE and cleaning costs have been received by the council but, due to the council’s coronavirus accounting practices, this has not been included in the education budget and will instead be taken into account centrally along with all Covid-specific funding.