Agenda item

Presentation regarding Council response to COVID-19 pandemic in relation to service delivery by Fenland District Council.

Members considered the Council Response to COVID-19 – Future Implications Report. 

Paul Medd confirmed the report had been circulated as a presentation in advance of the meeting and invited questions from the O&S Panel.  

·         Councillor Booth referred to the rollout of virtual council meetings and asked what the intention is going forward. Are we going to be a prudent authority and still have measures in place or go back to how things were? We need to lead by example.

·         Councillor Boden responded that this was an appropriate question and he had been deeply disappointed that the opportunity to continue to have virtual meetings until such time we were all confident that it was safe to have unregulated meetings in person was not taken. He felt this to be a mistake by central Government, but we must abide by their decision and the legal situation. However, it is not a satisfactory position, and officers have been very careful to follow regulations. They have been able to find different locations to undertake larger meetings, but it has been very difficult. His understanding is that many of the legal restrictions will be lifted after 19July.  They may or may not relate to guidance about local government and their meetings in buildings, but our intention is to err on the side of caution whilst recognising the legal position.

·         Paul Medd confirmed that we must undertake a pragmatic balance between meeting as normal but also seeking to uphold safety wherever possible. Any decisions will be kept under close review as we move forward.

·         Councillor Yeulett asked about the work with the 57 rough sleepers as noted in the report. He asked if they have been embedded within society or as the pandemic becomes less severe will they return to homelessness going forward? He also asked what the plans are for the winter. Furthermore, has there been a surge in domestic violence within Fenland? Nationally people are talking about the effect on children, so do we have a handle on that? Also, what are the effects on our finances generally?

·         Councillor Boden responded that there was great success 12 months ago in getting all rough sleepers off the streets, however that involves spending a lot of money which came from central Government.  That funding is now not available so we cannot sustain this position. However, there are many initiatives to ensure that rough sleeping continues to be addressed; the problem generally is not one of housing but other issues. He cannot say how many of those 57 are still rough sleeping as he does not have access to their records.

·         Councillor Boden confirmed that sadly there has been an increase in the nationwide reporting of domestic violence. There has been some increase so far as requirements for intervention for children, but we have not seen an increase in the number projected. He is surprised that it has not been as great a problem with more prominence as he was expecting but he does not have the specific numbers in front of him. However, one case is one too many. We understand that there has been greater pressure upon many households over the last 15 months, and regrettably that pressure has resulted in violence. Even pre-COVID-19 the number of cases of domestic violence in Cambridgeshire and Fenland is appallingly high and grossly underreported

·         Councillor Boden advised that in respect of the financial impact, we provide monthly reports to the HMCLG about the effect that COVID-19 has had. Those effects have been highly negative to us; however, they have largely been offset by funding available from HMCLG.  He added that regarding winter plans, we have learned much in the last 15 months and we will use what we have learned to be more prepared in the future to act as quickly as possible within the confines of the law.

·         Paul Medd added that financially the ongoing legacy issues around COVID-19 are not yet fully known but we will continue to monitor that position closely to be ahead of any financial challenges it might present. However, on a positive note, there are signs of recovery; society is starting to reopen. A good example of where we are seeing recovery in our income stream is in leisure. Positively, statistics from Freedom Leisure reflect that customers are returning to using the leisure centres. Generally, the pandemic came about when the Government were looking to review local government finance with fairer funding, business rates retention and the new homes bonus for example, so we continue to work with the Leader on being aware of and understanding any central government policy changes that will influence our budget and medium-term financial strategy. In respect of winter, he advised Councillor Yeulett that if there are any changes to central government policy, we will swiftly act upon those to ensure we are fully legally compliant. We will continue to support and work closely with partners to ensure the vaccination programme rollout because scientifically it has been proved to have a positive bearing and we do recognise there are certain residents or communities that are hesitant. We will continue to work with partner agencies to reach out to encourage as many of those as possible to engage with the process in the coming autumn and winter months. For office-based staff, we are looking at a future way of working for the Council and whether there is an opportunity to become more efficient by creating a form of agile working. Reviewing our accommodation needs is something we are looking at as a result and we will engage more broadly with members when it is appropriate to do so. 

·         Councillor Yeulett thanked both Councillor Boden and Paul Medd for their very comprehensive replies.

·         Councillor Miscandlon thanked officers, the Corporate Management Team, Member Services, and all staff for their prompt reaction to Government legislation changes and their ability to adapt to that new legislation. He said they have done an excellent job and he applauded them. He added that some years ago, chaired by Councillor Hoy and in conjunction with Cambridgeshire County Council and Huntingdon District Council, FDC produced a report on domestic violence which at the time was applauded and presented to the then Home Secretary, Theresa May. He believes we should look at producing a further report with some of the other local councils as this is a problem faced nationwide to raise awareness with the public in the proper way.

·         Councillor Booth referred to the issue of homelessness and Councillor Boden's comments. The local press were indicating that homeless numbers were on the increase again, particularly in Wisbech. The point had been made that sometimes simply housing people did not resolve the matter. He said that partly people become homeless because of a myriad of bureaucracy, paperwork and rules and regulations that get in the way of helping people out in the first place. A lot of this creates a barrier to putting people on the waiting list and getting them housed; we need to be more proactive in future regarding that. There are two sides to the story.

·         Councillor Boden thanked Councillor Booth for his point. It was correct but there is a difference between rough sleeping and homelessness. FDC officers work very hard, and in his opinion go above and beyond, to ensure people do not get lost in the system or buried by the bureaucracy that must exist to manage the process; they do this exceptionally well in respect of homelessness.  However, there are very few cases where people end up rough sleeping because of bureaucracy and the system which exists. In many instances it is a lifestyle choice, but each case is individual; behind every rough sleeper there is a separate story.

·         Carol Pilson added that we are also reliant on other organisations to help provide support to individuals, for example in mental health. Often providing a set of keys is not the answer, there must be a whole package of assistance in place. We also have different age ranges to consider. Furthermore, all agencies are facing budget constraints and the thresholds for support are getting higher in terms of access to services. We do have a close-knit partnership with many organisations, not all of them statutory, we are heavily reliant on the goodwill of the voluntary and community sector.

·         Councillor Cornwell said the NHS is very important in this and they are in a very difficult position currently. He asked if we are still engaged with the NHS locally regarding the services they are engaged in and are we in a position to influence and increase the service provision in areas such as mental health?

·         Councillor Boden responded that we liaise with others in a multidisciplinary way to address the problems that individual rough sleepers may have. However, as far as mental health is concerned, the Government recently introduced the concept of parity of esteem. Under that concept health bodies were meant to give equal weight to both physical and mental problems. He does not think the parity has yet been fully achieved. This is an NHS matter and is overseen by the County Council but the impression he has is that officers have found the multidisciplinary approach works, it has been possible to engage with relevant bodies within the NHS structures on that issue. However, this is not enough and unfortunately waiting lists have increased and the danger is that mental problems continue to be invisible and out of mind. He stated that Councillor Cornwell's comment was a good example of the O&S Panel being helpful in trying to influence policy agenda, for which he is grateful for the comment. He added that this was an opportune moment to thank the Chairman of O&S for the support and flexibility he has shown over the last 15 months in dealing with the four requests for urgent action that did not go through the normal process and needed his support. These requests were rightly questioned by the Panel and in response to Councillor Booth's earlier comment that it be noted this is not the usual way of doing things; these were exceptional circumstances that we all hope will never occur again and we will do our best to ensure that no further such requests are made.

·         Councillor Wicks said he has a meeting next week with an NHS mental health prescriber regarding an initiative that is being rolled out in the Whittlesey area to support ex-servicemen with mental health issues. He will engage with Fenland officers and will report progress back to the panel.

·         Councillor Booth referred to the part of the report highlighting the number of requests to the community hub. The weekly update shows a reduction in requests to the hub so is this an appropriate time to end singling out these requests and incorporate them into general customer services call data. Councillor Boden said as much as he agreed, unfortunately we are facing an increase in transmission of infection rates and now is probably not the time to do this. 

·         Paul Medd added that many residents are still likely to face ongoing issues, for example with furlough coming to an end, therefore the community hub will continue to be a vital function for some time. As a council committed to supporting residents affected by the pandemic, it would be responsible and prudent to keep that dedicated community hub offer live for the foreseeable future.

·         Councillor Booth agreed that under the circumstances it would be prudent for the hub to carry on. However, as a member of a community group, he cannot recall the last communication received from the hub so he would suggest that be looked at. Many people are setting up their own support network now and so, unlike a year ago, not necessarily in need of the community groups either, but we do need to think about whether we should re-engage with those groups again given the messages we are getting from Government.

·         Paul Medd responded that it was accepted that communication and engagement are important. Councillor Booth's observation is correct that since the start of the pandemic the amount of community resilience has strengthened daily and is almost embedded in our communities, so the number of calls has reduced. However, one of the roles of the hub seen throughout is one of signposting, therefore it is still a useful point of contact.

Councillor Mason thanked the Leader and officers for their presentation. He also echoed Councillor Miscandlon's earlier comments; he would like to thank and congratulate every officer and member of staff in producing services to a very high standard in such challenging circumstances.

Paul Medd said part of the effectiveness of this Council's response is the support received from all members, who, rightly so, have been appropriately challenging where necessary and equally the exceptional support received from the Leader in such extreme times. It truly defines effective one team working. Councillor Mason thanked Paul Medd.