Dear James Allen

Freedom of Information Act 2000 Ref:  59/2020

Thank you for your correspondence received on the 26th October, 2020.

Your request is being considered under the Freedom of Information Act
2000.

Please note: On 16th March 2020 the Local Government Secretary announced
that as part of the government’s response to the coronavirus statutory
deadlines for Freedom of Information requests have been temporarily
suspended. We will continue to aim to respond to your query within 20
working days, but please be aware that this may not be possible at the
present time.

Note the Act defines a number of exemptions that may prevent release of
the requested information. There will therefore be an assessment of your
request to determine if any exemptions apply to the information requested.
If the information cannot be released, or only released in part, you will
be informed of the reasons why, together with any rights of appeal.

If the information requested refers to a third party, they may be
consulted before deciding whether it can be released.

Yours sincerely,

Sally Henry | Governance Officer

Tees Valley Combined Authority

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Dear James Allen,

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Ref: 59/2020

Thank you for your correspondence received on 24^th October, 2020.

In response to your request I can now provide the following information. 

Can you please confirm if the Authority allocated 100% of its proposed and
published  Adult education Budget spend to its chosen contractors and
their sub contractors for the year 2019 - 2020. If not what amount was not
allocated and what happened to any underspend.

I confirm that TVCA has not allocated 100% of the 2019- 20  Adult
education Budget  to the previous published contractors. Any underspend
will be carried over into the 2020/21 academic year and will not be lost
to region. .  The underspend is currently 9% of the 2019/20 AEB.

Also can you please confirm if each main contractor and each subcontractor
received full allocation as published. If not can you confirm how many
contractors did not receive full allocation?  I am not requesting name any
such contractors just the number .  If any main contractor did not receive
full allocation can you confirm reasons in brief . I.e. underperformance ,
ceased trading, wrong information published in March 2020 and so on.

Four providers have not received their full allocation as published to
date.  This is due to contractual  under performance issues earlier in the
academic year and one provider ceasing trading.  This is in accordance
with TVCA’s Performance Management Framework and contract management
protocols

Please confirm if any contractor received any growth in year.  I am not
requesting names or amounts of such contractors just clarification if any
growth was allocated and to how many main  providers and a separate figure
for sub contractors of main providers.

Three providers were awarded additional funding in-year for the 2019/20
academic year.  This was to provide additional courses in response to the
demand during the Covid19 pandemic.

Can you please confirm if any growth requests were refused in 2019 – 2020

We had to discontinue a call for additional funding requests earlier in
 2020 as a result of the Covid19 pandemic.  Accordingly, some additional
funding requests were not approved.

Further to he above can you please confirm the payment profile  for
funding year 2019- 2020

The payment profile for 2019/20 was published within the Performance
Management Framework policy document and mirrored the ESFA national
payment profile….(PMF Attached)

For clarification I understand providers were paid on an agreed profile %
monthly with reconciliation points  in November, April is this correct?

Yes, save that the reconciliation points were December and April, July and
October. Please see PMF attached

Can you set out the monthly profile for 2019 -2020 (for example August 
%.  September % October % and so on) for the year 2019- 2020

Please see attached Performance Management Framework that was published
for the 2019/20 academic year.

I note that for this year 2020 -2021 follows a payment of 8% of profile
monthly with 12% April.

Please see link to the 2020/21 Performance Management Framework where the
up-date profile is included.
[1]https://teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/wp-content/...

The Combined Authority has also agreed individual profiles with some
providers for the 2020/21 academic year in order to better reflect their
delivery position as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic.

I note that a minutes of cabinet meeting  refer to a report from Shona
Duncan which indicates  several contractors (circa 11)  being
“underperforming”  Can you direct me to the relevant performance profile
tables or profile and documents used for performance management in the
year 2019 -2020 . I can find current year 2020 -2021 on your web site if
these are the same documents with no changes can you indicated this. If
not can you provide suitable links to former documents.

Please find attached a copy of the published Performance Management
Framework for 2019/20.

If you have any queries or concerns please contact me in the first
instance.

However, if you are unhappy with the way your request for information has
been handled, you can submit a complaint by writing to:

Group Chief Executive, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Cavendish House,
Teesdale Business Park, Stockton on Tees, TS17 6QY. 

If, after your complaint has been determined, you remain dissatisfied with
the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to
the Information Commissioner at:

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.  Telephone: 0303 123 1113:  Website:
[2]www.ico.gov.uk. 

The ICO does not make a charge for an appeal.

Yours sincerely,

Sally Henry | Governance Officer

Tees Valley Combined Authority

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