Decision - CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE REPORT

Decision details

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE REPORT

Decision Maker: Executive

Decision status: For Determination

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decision:

The Executive considered a Coronavirus (Covid-19) update report.

 

The following replies to questions/Member comments included:

 

·           The Leader and fellow Local Government officials (through the LGA and DCN) were having unprecedented access to Government Ministers during the pandemic, enabling direct feedback of issues being encountered at County and District/Borough level;

·           The impact had been severe on the leisure/arts/culture sector.  The DCN were asking for the Secretary of State for DCMS (Oliver Dowden MP) or another senior figure to take part in a future teleconferences to discuss support for the sector;

·           The Leader would be giving evidence to an all-party Parliamentary Committee on District/Borough Councils;

·           It was clarified that the number of Covid-19 related deaths shown in the Ward breakdown table at Paragraph 3.7.4 of the report (16) referred to the number of deaths in hospital;

·           The Strategic Director (RP) would clarify how the Wards stated in the report aligned with the actual boundaries of Stevenage Wards;

·           Although it was important to receive accurate statistical information going forward, it was acknowledged that there was no guarantee that the ONS statistics would provide Ward level information;

·           The East & North Hertfordshire (ENH) Health Trust had previously reported that 260 individuals admitted to their hospitals with Covid-19 symptoms had recovered and been discharged.  This figure was likely to be higher now;

·           The Leader commented that at no time during the pandemic had the Lister Hospital been overwhelmed.  She asked that the Council’s thanks be conveyed to the Chief Executive of the ENH Health Trust and his Team for their sterling work over the past two months;

·           It was noted that the Government’s Job Retention Scheme had been extended to October 2020, with businesses to be asked to provide a higher contribution to staff wages;

·           There were DWP delays in processing Universal Credit applications, which had a knock-on effect of SBC rent arrears;

·           The impact of Council Tax support payments from the Hardship Fund had yet to be fully realised;

·           SBC had given business rate relief of over £20Million to local companies and over £10Million to businesses eligible for Government support grants;

·           Operation Shield had been well-intentioned by the Government, but would have been more effective if food/essentials packages had been co-ordinated locally (as had happened at SBC with Stevenage Helps);

·           The Leader was delighted with the public messages of thanks provided to the SBC’s Refuse & Recycling Teams for continuing to operate throughout the pandemic;

·           Work was continuing with the Youth Mayor and Youth Council to support young people with mental health issues during the lockdown;

·           SBC had a net annual budget of £9Million.  A worse-case scenario forecast had revealed that SBC income losses/increased costs for 2020/21 could be over £11Million.  Work had commenced on a review of the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Strategies.  The Leader stated that the Council would do all it could to avoid having to make any cuts to jobs and services, but noted that the Council was not lawfully allowed to run a deficit budget.  In common with other local authorities across the UK, the Council would struggle to bridge this financial deficit unless an appropriate level of further Government support funding was forthcoming;

·           Urgent Key Decision No. 11 – Suspension of highway verge maintenance etc. – the situation had moved on, and this service was now re-operational;

·           The Chief Executive would work with colleagues and partners to start populating the draft Recovery Plans with a view to sharing first drafts of both the SBC and Town plans with Members at the June 2020 Executive meeting;

·           Members considered that, following on from recent discussions concerning the Future Town Future Council objectives for 2020/21, key pieces of work (such as Climate Change work) would be continuing alongside the recovery work;

·           The first Hertfordshire Climate Change & Sustainability Partnership (HCCSP) meeting was due to be taking place on 14 May 2020 and would start to look at high level interventions, including energy companies and affordable public transport opportunities;

·           The Leader implored any residents who were struggling to meet Council Tax/rent payments to contact the Council to discuss possible alternative payment arrangements;

·           Once clarity was received over the recent national relaxation of the lockdown restrictions, the Leader further implored the Government to introduce a stable funding platform for Local Government going forward;

·           Additional measures were being investigated regarding social distancing in the Town Centre, and the car parks associated with Parks/open spaces had been re-opened following the Government’s latest announcement  regarding the easing of lockdown restrictions;

·           The Strategic Director (TP) undertook to contact GTR to ascertain the expected increased demand for train usage at Stevenage Railway Station following the easing of lockdown restrictions; and

·           Officers were asked to issue clear communications to residents regarding the easing of the lockdown restrictions, in particular the relaxation of the stay at home provisions, with clarification that they would continue for identified vulnerable/shielded groups.

 

It was RESOLVED:

 

1.         That the current position and the Council’s emergency response to date be noted.

 

2.         That the Officer Key Decisions which have been taken in response to the COVID-19 emergency, as set out in Paragraph 4.11.2 in the report, be noted and endorsed.

 

3.         That the recovery phase approach, as set out in Section 4.13 of the report, be approved.

 

4.         That the Executive records the significant pressures on the Council’s budget if the Government does not meet its promise to fund the shortfall being predicted and set out in the report, and that officers be requested to undertake a review of the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Strategies and report back to the June 2020 Executive meeting.

 

Reason for Decision:  As contained in report.

Other Options considered:  As contained in report; and 4.To highlight the significant pressures on the Council’s budget.

Publication date: 13/05/2020

Date of decision: 13/05/2020

Decided at meeting: 13/05/2020 - Executive

Accompanying Documents: