What is the Minister's assessment of the implications of releasing £40m of capital from the sustainable communities for learning programme?
The £40m reduction in this year’s Sustainable Communities for Learning (SCfL) programme should be taken in the context of the £300m per annum budget made available to the programme. This represents an increase of nearly 33% when compared to the 2021/22 baseline programme budget and reflects the increased momentum in delivery of major education capital projects.
The £40m reduction was agreed following a full assessment of the budget, which included a review of projected in-year spend through the SCfL programme. This reduction will not affect funding which has already been approved by the Welsh Government, which continues to be claimed in arrears by delivery partners.
To mitigate any impact to the delivery of the programme an action plan has been developed to ensure momentum can be maintained. The approval of any new in-year capital commitments will require careful consideration to ensure these can be accommodated within the revised budget. To minimise the impact on pipeline projects, Welsh Government officials are working closely with delivery partners to identify any potential project slippage at the earliest opportunity. This will ensure outturn projections are as accurate as possible so that the in-year budget reduction does not impact adversely on the continued delivery of pipeline projects.