To consider the submitted Councillor Call for Action on the above from Councillor George Darling and determine if Members wish to request officers to prepare a full report on the matter for submission to a future meeting of the Sub-Board.

(Note:  Councillor George Darling has been invited to explain his rationale for the request.)

In accordance with Standing Order D13, Councillor George Darling outlined his reasons for submitting a Councillor Call for Action in respect of the St Margarets and Spires Hearing Unit Closures, which included concerns over the consultation and engagement process, evidence and data used to inform the decision and impact on sustainable staffing etc.  Councillor Darling had also circulated to Members of the Sub-Board two letters from St Margarets and a letter from Spires, which were not part of the discussions for the meeting but would need to be considered alongside any officer report.

The Sub-Board had to determine whether or not to request officers to prepare a full report on the matter.  Members were advised that the decision was an officer decision and not a Cabinet decision and that the decision could not be changed as a result of a report being presented to the Sub-Board and would still be implemented from September 2025.

Resolved (unanimously):

That the Director of Children’s Services be requested to prepare a full report on the service changes at the St Margarets and Spires Hearing Units and submit it to a future meeting of the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board, with key lines of enquiry to include:

1.         please provide details of the consultation that took place in the formative stage prior to the decision being made by the Council;

2.         what were the results of this consultation for Torbay children with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) carried out by the Council and did it change the proposed decision taken forward?; 

3.         please provide details of any consultation which took place following this decision being made public and any action taken as a result;

4.         what alternative options were proposed to Torbay parents for their child's Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision if they did not agree with the Council's proposed EHCP delivery from September?  Where would the nearest Hearing Impairment Units be if they wished their child to attend a dedicated Hearing Impairment Unit?;

5.         did the local authority consider the impact of this decision beyond children under their statutory care with an EHCP?; 

6.         how many children from Torbay are currently receiving some form of support from the hearing unit both with and without an EHCP, and how are these predicted to change over the coming 5 years?;

7.         what assurance can be provided that future needs of all children in Torbay who need support with their hearing, including those with an EHCP and those without and an EHCP, will continue to be reviewed and met?; 

8.         was any external advice or support sought on the proposal, if so who from and how did this inform the process?;

9.         why was the option to reduce the size of the units further or to close one and move the support to a single unit not considered as alternative options?;

10.       what lessons have been learned from this process?; and

11.       contextual information about the framework for SEND how it is structured and funded, what will change as a result of the decision and how can the voice of the child can be included; and

That, in light of the letters received from St Margarets and Spires, the Democratic Services Officer be requested to arrange a briefing with Members of the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board to discuss the issues of concern and finalise the key lines of enquiry to inform the officer’s report.