Agenda item

The report of the Chief Executive is attached.

It was RESOLVED that

a)           the work of the officers of the Council and partners in responding to and supporting the recovery from Covid-19 be noted; and

b)           the terms of the Covid Business Grants Support Policy be noted.

The Leader presented the report of the Chief Executive, providing an update on the work completed to date on response and recovery due to the Covid-19 pandemic since May 2020.

The Leader highlighted the key headlines in the report, which reflected the work undertaken both internally and externally by the Council during the pandemic, together with the Council’s continued commitment to deliver key capital projects.  Cabinet noted the national lockdown timescale measures, and the challenges faced by the Council in implementing the various measures required during the different lockdown stages.  The Leader advised that since the end of the second national lockdown, the County had been placed into Tier 3, and it was hoped that following the review on 16 December 2020, the hard work undertaken would be rewarded and the County would be placed into a lower tier.  Cabinet was reminded of the impact to the economy, with key headlines including a 38.1% decline in Gross Value Added in Quarter 2, which equated to an unprecedented drop of a third in the Borough’s economy.  Unemployment claims had increased by 183%, which given Rushcliffe’s usually high employment rates, was again unprecedented.  The Leader referred to the success of the Government’s furlough scheme, which had helped to retain jobs, with 30% of the employed population in the Borough being furloughed. Cabinet’s attention was drawn to the important issue of cash flow, and the Leader was delighted with the Council’s effort in rolling out the business grants so quickly to effected businesses, once the money had been received from Central Government.  In particular, the Leader paid testament to the Executive Manager – Finance and Corporate Services, and his team, and to the Councillors who had worked to implement the various policies, to ensure that they were fair, deliverable and effective.  The complexity of the process and the speed and efficiency of the Council in distributing the business grants was welcomed and acknowledged.

The Leader referred to the work of the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) and highlighted the principles and objectives of this multi-agency group, together with the Strategic Co-ordinating Group (SCG) and the LRF Recovery Co-ordinating Group (RCG).  The Council’s involvement with those groups was acknowledged, as was the dedicated hard work and commitment of those groups. The report highlighted the track and trace and vaccination programmes and the Leader expressed his delight that the vaccination programme was now underway.  The establishment of a testing facility in the Arena car park was noted, with testing continuing to play an important role.

In respect of internal business operation, the Leader commented that the key issue had been to ensure the continued effective delivery of essential services. That had involved staff redeployment, the creation of Covid secure areas within the authority, and supporting staff.  Covid had directly affected some staff, and that disruption had been mitigated.  Cabinet was advised of the huge pressures put on some services due to lockdown, with significant increases in waste and recycling, and additional work for the Environmental Health and Finance teams.  The Leader referred to the significant impact to the leisure sector, in particular the financial impact, and thanked the Executive Manager – Neighbourhoods and his team for their hard work to lessen the impact as much as possible.

Finally, the Leader drew Cabinet’s attention to the essential support given out to businesses and local communities, including the ‘Reach Rushcliffe’ fund to support local initiatives that aimed to tackle loneliness and isolation, rent holidays for some commercial tenants and hosting virtual business networking events.  In respect of the future, it was acknowledged that the Borough would never be the same again, for residents and businesses alike.  It was important that the Council remained positive and above all continued to work to revitalise the economy, ensure that all of its facilities were open, and to deliver its capital projects, for the benefit of all local residents and businesses.  

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Edyvean reiterated the challenges that the Council had faced in 2020 and thanked officers for their hard work in supporting local residents and businesses.  It was noted that as the situation continued to evolve, businesses would still require support, and that was referred to in the report.  The work undertaken both internally and externally was acknowledged, with the support given to local businesses being very well received.  The future priorities for the Council in terms of service delivery in key areas were also noted.  Cabinet’s attention was drawn to the plight of the hospitality sector, which had been affected in the same way as the leisure sector, and it was acknowledged that both of those sectors in particular would require ongoing support, and Cabinet would continue to be updated.  

In response to a question regarding the date of the next update to Cabinet, the Chief Executive advised that depending on the trajectory of the pandemic, which it was hoped would begin to level off, it would be timely to bring a report to the meeting in March 2021, which would be in line with the budget setting timeline for the following year.

The Leader thanked the Chief Executive and drew Cabinet’s attention to the Council’s Recovery Plan, appended to the report, which was an excellent working document.

Councillor Moore referred to the devastating impact of Covid and thanked officers for the report, which highlighted the tremendous work that had been achieved.  The important work undertaken by local communities was reiterated and the amazing community spirit was acknowledged.  It was a concern that so many areas were now dealing with debt, poverty and mental health issues, as a result of unemployment.  In respect of the Recovery Plan, the emphasis on healthcare and revitalising communities was essential, the completion of the capital projects, which would benefit local communities and create employment was to be applauded.  Cabinet was reminded that the focus now had to be on recovery and that officers were ready to focus on that challenge.

The Leader referred to the important role that parish councils had played during the pandemic, alongside community groups and local Councillors and thanked everyone for their hard work.   

It was RESOLVED that

a)           the work of the officers of the Council and partners in responding to and supporting the recovery from Covid-19 be noted; and

b)           the terms of the Covid Business Grants Support Policy be noted.