Issue - meetings

Councillor David Renard, Leader of the Council, and the Director of Public Health (on behalf of the Chief Executive) introduced a joint report providing Cabinet with an update on the Covid-19 cases that have been identified and the action taken in accordance with the Local Outbreak Management Plan (“LOMP”), including the re-instatement of Gold Response from Monday, 10th August 2020. The report also set out the progress the Council has made to recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Leader drew Cabinet’s attention to the work on managing local outbreaks as well as restarting the economy, especially in the town centre.  The Director of Public Health delivered an update on the current situation, emphasising the progress made in reducing the infection rate while urging all not to be complacent. Councillor Brian Ford, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health thanked all councillors for their efforts in supporting the response and recovery efforts.

Councillor Jim Grant along with Councillor Dale Heenan, Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, Culture and Heritage, asked a range of questions, to which the Leader, Councillor Brian Ford, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, Councillor Robert Jandy, Cabinet Member for Organisational Excellence, the Corporate Director, Children’s Services, and the Director of Public Heath responded at the meeting.

·        What was the rate of return to offices by Council staff? Twenty five percent of staff had return with the aim of this rising to thirty percent by the end of September, with a further review in October.

·        What was the engagement with ward councillors in SN2? Ward councillors had been engaged but the Director of Public Health would confirm this and ensure that both councillors in specific areas and across the borough were kept briefed.

·        Would there be a test facility in SN2 given that the current ones were in SN1? The testing process is being administered nationally and the Council was looking to identify more ‘pop-up’ sites to facilitate access in areas of concern.

·        Which agencies will be responsible for enforcing the new restrictions? The police service would be the principal agency, with the Chief Constable having briefed the Council and other partners through the Local Resilience Forum.

Resolved – (1) That the Gold response to the recent localised Covid-19 outbreak be noted.

(2) That the progress towards delivering the Covid-19 Recovery Plan (attached at Annexes One and Two to the main report) be noted.

(3) That the Overview and Scrutiny Committees be invited to review the recovery workstreams of the Covid-19 Recovery Plan, and collate lessons learnt since March 2020 as set out below.

(a) Adults' Health, Adults' Care and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Social Care, Housing & Vulnerable Groups workstream.

(b) Children's Health, Social Care and Education Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Social Care, Housing & Vulnerable Groups and Education, Skills & Learning workstreams.

(c) Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Social Care, Housing & Vulnerable Groups and Operational Services workstreams.

(d) Growing the Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee - the economy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17

The Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive submitted a joint report setting out the actions the Council is taking to recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The joint report also set out how Council had maintained the majority of its services during the Response Phase with increased use of technology and flexible working practices allowing essential services to be provided. The Recovery Plan also addressed how the Council will seek to learn lessons from this unprecedented event and identify opportunities to re-shape the way the Council delivers services to residents.

The Leader of the Council emphasised the importance of restarting the economy and preserving jobs along with undertaking to provide regular updates to subsequent Cabinet meetings. Councillor Jim Grant asked a series of questions about whether the administration would form a cross-party working group to develop plans as well as how non-executive Councillors could contribute to their development. The Leader of the Council and Councillor Dale Heenan – Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, Culture and Heritage – responded at the meeting.

Resolved: (1) That the Covid-19 Recovery Plan (attached at Appendix One to the main report), be approved and that it be noted that the Recovery Plan will run in parallel with the formal response.

(2) That the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council be authorised to implement the measures set out in the Recovery Plan.

(3) That it be noted that the Council remains in emergency response and that the Recovery Plan will run in parallel until the point of formal handover from the Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG) as directed by Central Government.

The reasons for the decision and alternative options are as set out in the report to the meeting.