Issue - meetings

To provide the latest Covid-19 position, including the Council’s emergency response, highlight the financial impact of Covid-19 on the Council, and to set out a proposed approach to recovery.

[REPORT TO FOLLOW]

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.  ...  view the full decision text for item 4.