Hertfordshire County Council is to claw back around £11,000 in costs from schools that seek to leave the local authority to become academies.

Academy status has been an option open to all maintained schools, following a change in legislation in 2010.

And it is a route that's already been taken by 176 Hertfordshire schools, including 100 primary, 67 secondary, three all-through and six special.

As part of the transfer to academy status, officers from the county council's estates and legal services, school planning, human resources and payroll are all said to deliver "significant support".

But the council is not currently reimbursed for the professional costs they incur.

And at a meeting of the council's cabinet on Wednesday (July 15), councillors agreed to levy a flat charge of £11,000 from schools converting to academy status to cover their costs.

At the meeting, it was reported that until 2025, the council could claim £25,000 from the government to cover conversion costs.

But that, it was said, was now only available when three or more schools joined the same multi-academy trust.

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According to the report presented to councillors, "many" local authorities now levy a full or partial cost recovery mechanism on schools for this work.

And the sum, according to the report, would recover the costs of professional services provided.

The charge is set to be implemented from 2027, with the level of the charge to be reviewed and updated annually or 'at such other intervals as are deemed appropriate'.

Presenting the proposal, executive member for education, SEND and inclusion, Cllr Mark Watkin (Liberal Democrat, Nascot Park), said the charge was based on the typical cost incurred by the council, and was a "reflection of costs of our officer time".