Agenda item

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Ejiofor gave a presentation to the Committee which set out the administration’s Phase 1 recovery and Phase 2 response to the current Covid-19 pandemic. The Leader commented that the Committee may wish to provide a scrutinising role on the administration’s response, going forwards. The Chief Executive, Zina Etheridge was also present for this item. The presentation was included in the second dispatch agenda pack at pages 3-16. The following arose during the discussion of this item:

a.    The Chair commented that she was concerned that children’s centres remained largely closed, whilst schools were open and that there seemed to be a gap in the recovery of services for younger children.

b.    The Committee commented on the borough wide letter that was sent out to all residents last week on Covid-19 and sought clarification over the fact it was dated September. The Committee emphasised the need for these communications to go out in a variety of different languages as a matter of course and also sought clarification on how much the letter cost to send out to all residents. In response, the Leader advised that the date was a typographical error and agreed to provide a written response to the Committee members on the cost of the letter. The Leader emphasised the importance of consistent public health messaging. (Action: Leader of the Council).

c.    In relation to a question around business loans and the support offered to businesses, the Leader advised that the Council had agreed to stay the loan repayments to local businesses during this period. The Leader agreed to provide additional information to the Committee on the number and status of loans given through the Opportunity Investment Fund, as well as information on businesses that had gone bust.  (Action: Leader of the Council).

d.    The Committee noted concern with the economic impact of the pandemic and questioned what the administration was doing to mitigate the impending crisis around poverty and joblessness. In response, the Leader highlighted the work done by the Council around addressing food poverty during the crisis and he advised that work would continue with voluntary sector partners to continue to deliver a response around tackling food poverty. Cllr Chandwani was also in the process of setting up the welfare assistance scheme. The Leader advised that the administration was also looking into how and whether the eligibility for free school meals could be expanded to help some of the poorest families in the borough.

e.    The Committee sought further information around the £17m budget gap identified in the presentation. In response, the Leader advised that this was due to a combination of additional spending due to the Covid response, a failure to meet some savings targets and a loss of income due to Covid and the lockdown. The Leader advised that this would be set out in detail in the report to Cabinet in December. It was also noted that further clarity on government support was anticipated from the Spending Review which was due later this week. The Leader advised that, whatever happened, The Council would pass a balanced budget in February.

f.     In response to a question around whether all care workers in the borough received sick pay, the Chief Executive confirmed that that this was case as far as she was aware.

g.    In response to a question around the support offered to care workers, the Chief Executive advised that the organisation was working with those individuals who most needed support to provide group activities, even when day centres were closed, so that carers could get some respite. There had also been ongoing phone support all the way through the crisis for carers. The Chief Executive agreed to provide a written response to the Committee on this question. (Action: Zina Etheridge).

h.    In relation to a question around the vaccine rollout, the Committee was advised that the policy for this was set nationally but the initial cohorts that were put forward by the JCBI prioritised care home residents, care home staff and the over 80s, as well as older people receiving domiciliary care.

i.      In response to a follow-up question around the communication strategy for particular groups, including those with disabilities & people suffering with autism, the Chief Executive acknowledged that there were a whole set of communication challenges around this including the groups mentioned, working with trusted community leaders within certain groups and also the prevalence of conspiracy theories. The Chief Executive commented on the need to build trust and work closely with NHS colleagues to get the messaging right.

j.      The Committee sought clarification on the amount of money that was expected to be received by government. In response, the Director of Finance advised that the overall pressure to the General Fund due to coronavirus was around £40m as of Q2. The authority had received £26.7m in central government funding so far and a further £8m in grant funding was anticipated. There were also ongoing costs to the HRA and collection accounts that would work through in coming years. The Director of Finance commented that the funding shortfall was coming down from an earlier estimated position of £70m.

k.    The Committee commented on the need for public health messaging for young people and the need to engage with that particular demographic. In response, the Leader acknowledged this and advised that the Council had been using a variety of different mediums to engage with young people, including a range of social media platforms.

RESOLVED

That the update was noted.