A new scheme has been launched to assist contractors in gaining the necessary insurance cover to work in local schools. East Sussex County Council has teamed with Jardine Lloyd Thompson and Catlin Insurance to introduce a new insurance top-up scheme with the aim of making it easier for local firms to afford insurance costs.

The majority of the contractors involved are employed directly by schools, working as sports coaches, or in sports clubs and after-school clubs, or employed on contracts involving grounds maintenance, minor refurbishments and redecoration.

Some small firms have found it difficult to meet the Council’s requirement to secure £10m public liability insurance, however, and this scheme aims to circumvent that, with Jardine and Catlin taking on the additional risk.

The new scheme requires the contractors to purchase their own cover up to £5m of liability insurance and then apply to the scheme to top this up to the full £10m requirement. The top-up scheme at present applies to work undertaken only in schools, and can be purchased at a low daily rate.

The scheme is initially being funded through existing County Council budgets, with the council paying a small deposit premium, recoverable by payments made by contractors.

Councillor Keith Glazier, deputy leader of the County Council, said: “This is another example of our support for small businesses and the local economy.

“This scheme will make it easier for small firms to secure work in schools, whilst still ensuring that the right insurance cover is in place to protect our children, schools and the local authority. The initial funding for the scheme comes from exiting budgets and we will recover that money in future years – so our local taxpayers are protected as well.

“We’ve already had very positive feedback from many schools in East Sussex and we are now looking at the possibility of expanding the scheme into other areas of council work. Our insurance partners are also looking at rolling the scheme out nationally, to other local government clients, over the coming months.”

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