Agenda item

(Strategic Director) To consider the attached report on the effect to the Council’s services of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Strategic Director, A Small, presented an update report on the Covid-19 pandemic.

A Small reported that the Council had responded to the pandemic in a proactive and positive fashion and had also played an active part in the co-ordinated Greater Essex response. Most of the Council’s services were now operating normally but with some necessary restrictions to ensure the safety of staff and residents. With the easing of the national lockdown, the Council’s response had moved from ‘Response’ to ‘Restoration’ with a forward look to the ‘Recovery’ phase. However, there was the continued threat of a second spike in infections, and since the report was written the infection rate within the District had increased significantly from 49 to 90 infections.

A Small stated that Officers felt that the Council had acted quickly to help residents, businesses and staff during the first wave of the pandemic. The Council ensured that local democracy had continued through the implementation of virtual meetings, and the regular Portfolio Holder Advisory Group (PHAG) meetings had helped to shape the policy decisions taken by the Council. It was felt that the support infrastructure was now much more resilient and the Council was better placed to cope with further spikes of infections, but it would be interesting to understand the Member perception of the Council’s response to the pandemic.

The Vice-Chairman, Cllr R Jennings, felt that the Council had responded quickly for the benefit of residents, but wondered what services were suspended and the impact of this. A Small stated that Leisure provision and children’s play areas were initially suspended, but they had now reopened to the public albeit with restrictions. However, many core services such as waste collection had been able to continue as normal, and the Corporate Communications Team had issued a significant number of press releases to keep residents informed.

Cllr J H Whitehouse highlighted that the Careline alarms service had not been provided during the first wave of the pandemic, which was a vital service for elderly people living on their own, and the Councillor requested that every effort be made to not suspend this service again. A Small accepted that community alarms were important to the people who received them, and the Council would ensure that this service was prioritised during any second wave of infections. In the future, it was planned for Essex County Council to provide a county-wide service for Careline.

Cllr D Wixley enquired whether there were any notes taken of the PHAG meetings for Councillors to examine, and where were most of the infections in the District occurring? A Small replied that the notes of the PHAG meetings were informal but he could discuss any particular areas of concern with individual Councillors if they wished. Although the spread of infections had been seen across the whole District, they were concentrated in Loughton, Buckhurst Hill and Waltham Abbey. The current total of 90 infections was above average for the East of England, but below average for the whole of the country. However, unless the Council took action now then there was the possibility of the District being in the same position as some of the larger cities throughout the country.

Cllr S Murray commented that the Council did what its residents could reasonably expect of it, and it did it well. The Councillor shared the concerns raised about the Careline service, but pointed out that the County Council had delayed their takeover of the service until April 2021. The Council’s waste collection service had performed well, as had its management of the homeless and the economic support grants were also progressed quickly by Officers. Cllr S Murray also wanted to congratulate Cllr C Whitbread on his leadership of the Council during the first wave of the pandemic. However, there had not been as much done to encourage social distancing in Loughton as there had in Epping, and the Councillor was also disappointed at the response of the Member of Parliament for Epping Forest during the pandemic as the corresponding Member for Harlow had had a much higher public profile during the pandemic.

Cllr D Sunger was concerned that two of his residents had passed away during a weekend and had to be buried within 24 hours for religious reasons, but this had not happened. Could not the Council assist with such requests in the future. The Chief Executive, G Blakemore, informed the Committee that the Council had taken up this request with the County Council to provide an out-of-hours service for residents to access.

Cllr J Lea highlighted the issue of many people not wearing face coverings, and there had been no social distancing in a nightclub in Waltham Abbey. A Small reassured the Committee that the Council was taking enforcement action against some establishments due to the lack of social distancing measures. Cllr H Whitbread added that the Council’s Licensing Team was working closely with the Police on these issues, and if Members observed any further breaches of the regulations then please report them.

Cllr J M Whitehouse praised the efforts of the Council’s staff over the summer, but queried when the Council’s Housing Repairs team would be able to respond to requests in accordance with those set out in the Tenants Handbook? A Small agreed that planned maintenance work was more problematic, and would investigate further before responding to the Councillor.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, informed the Committee that on Friday of last week, there were 45 patients in Essex hospitals with Covid-19; as of 8.00am this morning (6 days later) this number had risen to 87, therefore the County Council was right to request that the county be moved into Tier 2 of the restrictions. The Council had been fully tested by the pandemic and had done the right things for residents. The Council had received support from the national Government, and Officers had performed well to make the payments to local businesses in a timely fashion. The Leader felt that there had been a number of positives for the Council during the pandemic: the waste collection service had been excellent; the homeless had been taken off of the streets and looked after; and the Management Team had performed excellently also. However, the Council should also learn any lessons from the first wave and be ready for any possible second wave of infections.

            Resolved:

(1)        That the good response of the Council thus far to the Covid-19 pandemic be noted, but that lessons be learnt for any potential second wave of infections in the near future.