To receive a report from the Overview and Scrutiny Officer. [Report to follow]

Contact Danial Webb    Tel. 01743 258509

The Acting Interim Chief Executive, Karen Bradshaw introduced the report, outlining the rapid response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the County.  She referred Members to section 4.2 of the report which detailed the activities and interventions undertaken since the start of the crisis.  Member noted that the Council had been recognised as a beacon of national good practice for its policy relating to providing accommodation and subsistence for the homeless in the county.  Members noted that the Council was supporting the tremendous work of 539 community groups through the provision of funding and training.

In response to a Member’s query on the identification of need in rural areas, the Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator added that there were 189 identified grass root community groups supporting rural areas. She continued that some of the groups were struggling with the volume of calls for support and in these cases the Council was filling the gaps. The groups had been provided with the information they required to support people in their areas, with the emphasis on the provision of food.  Food boxes had been distributed to residents required to shield as part of the National initiative and work was being undertaken with schools to identify families in receipt of free school meals and ensure that those families received provisions.  Grant funding had been allocated to the Food Poverty Alliance to support the increase in demand for the services of food banks.  She continued that it was recognised that there were more people in need and a list using various sources was being complied in cooperation with other recognised stake holders, such as Housing Associations, to ensure that everyone with unmet need was identified and offered assistance.

The Director of Public Health added that this identification process of those with unmet needs involved complex data sets and included residents with both social and clinical needs.  Members noted that a Power BI tool was being developed to show the location of volunteers so that they could be accessed by those who needed their assistance.  The Health and Wellbeing Officer confirmed that it was available on the intranet but required more work before it was easily accessible on the intranet. 

A Member observed that she had received mixed responses to requests for assistance for residents.  The Acting Interim Chief Executive agreed that there had been inconsistences in response in the early days of the crisis as processes were being developed and established.  She continued that this had now been resolved as staff found routes to assist residents and the establishment of the dedicated Covid-19 response line. The Wellbeing Coordinator agreed to resend information to Members on the routes available to the community for support.

In reply to a Member’s question, the Acting Interim Chief Executive, Andy Begley, confirmed that accommodation had been found for rough sleepers and homeless people in the County, and meals were being provided for those placed in accommodation without access to cooking facilities. He added that the Council faced the challenge of converting these temporary provisions to permanent accommodation.

In response to a Member’s question regarding funding for the Covid-19 crisis, the Director of Finance Governance and Assurance explained that £89m of the £91m allocated to Shropshire by central government had already been allocated but a number of small businesses had not made the anticipated application for funds and were being contacted by Economic Development Officers and encouraged to apply.

Members discussed the impact of the crisis on town and parish councils and the loss of expected income and additional expenditure incurred.  The Director of Finance, Governance and Assurance confirmed that central government had made no provision in the regulations for the additional crisis funding for discretionary grants to be made available to town and parish councils and had been prescriptive on how the funds could be allocated.

In response to a query regarding schools response to the Covid-19 crisis, the Interim Acting Chief Executive, Karen Bradshaw, suggested that as this was such a huge topic Members might be minded to consider this at a future meeting.

The Portfolio Holder for Communities, Place Planning and Regulatory Services reminded Members that the Community and Rural Strategy was under development and would be published shortly.  He continued that the Covid-19 crisis had demonstrated the need for resilience in rural communities.  The crisis had shown that the communities had resilience and that it was time to trust communities to take action to support themselves, especially as the Covid-19 crisis could be ongoing.

In response to a Member’s question about available support for people with mental health needs and the allocation of sufficient resources available to meet these needs, the Director of Public Health observed that the provision of support had been recognised as a priority which would continue beyond the crisis.  An initial investment had been made for groups impacted by the crisis which included bereavement support for children and young people.  She continued that a huge amount of work had been undertaken with partner organisations including Telford and Wrekin Council, to develop accessible on-line support.  The Leader echoed concerns regarding mental health issues in young people and suggested that new ways of working with the NHS to support young people would be developed with changes to the way current services were being delivered.

Members recognised and noted the outstanding contribution of staff in developing the Covid-19 response in such a short period of time and extended the Committee’s thanks.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and staff be thanked for their outstanding work.