Agenda item

This report informs Cabinet of the Council’s response to the panedmic situation; its reaction to Government guidance; the continuation of service provision to our residents; and liaison with Members, Partners and Town and Parish Councils.

The Chairman introduced this report and paid tribute to the staff and contractors of Arun District Council in maintaining the front-line services, and also to the residents of the District in observing the guidelines regarding social distancing.  He then invited the Chief Executive to present his report.

            The Chief Executive presented his report on the Council’s response to the pandemic situation; its reaction to Government guidance; the continuation of service provision to its residents; and liaison with Members, Partners and Town and Parish Councils.

            The Chief Executive started by clarifying that Paragraph 1.3.17 in the report referred to only the Business Rates Revaluation that had been postponed, not the Business Rates reset.  It was still to be confirmed whether the reset would be postponed into 2022.

            The report identified the timeline of actions taken to enable staff to work remotely in order to observe the social distancing regulations and to ensure their safety.  It also referred to the actions taken to provide continued service provision to residents, particularly in relation to the financial support measures announced by Central Government.  The Chief Executive gave verbal updates on how much financial support had been awarded since the production of the report.

            The report identified some lessons that had been learned from the Council’s reactions to the pandemic situation, which would be taken forward and fed into the Recovery Management Team meetings taking place on a weekly basis.  These lessons included:-

·         Improvements to the communication plan

·         Consistent messaging

·         Limited finances to purchase necessary IT equipment to enable staff to work from home

·         Time taken to test and trial various platforms for video-conferencing solutions, however caution was necessary due to reports of ‘bombing’ and hacking

·         Confusion across West Sussex regarding differences in delivery of Community Hub

            The final section of the report identified proposals for a Coronavirus Exit Strategy to prepare for the ‘recovery’ stage of the pandemic, and what the Council could look like as it moved into the ‘new normal’ phase.  These included:-

·         Revisiting our ambitions for the future with likely reduced resources

·         Bringing forward work on the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and Corporate Plan

·         The need to continue to move digital responses more quickly than previously envisaged

·         Anticipating the different use of Town Centres, parks, open spaces and seafronts

            The Chief Executive confirmed that a further report would be brought to the next Cabinet meeting to update on these matters.

            The Chairman then invited questions and comments from Cabinet Members.  Whilst Cabinet Members acknowledged the delay in setting up communications plans, the use of social media [in particular VLOGs from the Leader, the Chief Executive and staff] was a very well-received and supported move.  Improvements in technology to enable remote working and virtual meetings had set the bar for future working arrangements. It was noted that the report referred to a staff survey and a summary of the outcomes of that survey was awaited.

            Cabinet Members raised questions regarding the placement of rough sleepers and homeless households following the pandemic; potential ongoing work with climate change activities such as encouraging cycling and walking; concerns for the future of local businesses and the impact of continued social distancing on them and the local markets; gauging the expectations of the public in terms of what they would like us to do;

            The Chief Executive responded to these questions and advised that the results of the staff survey were being analysed; the environmental and sustainability agenda was expanding in reaction to the activities of the pandemic situation; the senior management team were reviewing the increased use of digital contacts and would be working on this through the Arun Improvement Board; the Council would also be considering reviewing bylaws in relation to cycling and improving accessibility, and pedestrianisation opportunities including road closures/restrictions; the Council’s newsletter and social media responses would be used to gather feedback from the public to inform the Council on what they would like to see.

            The Chairman referred to tourism and the attractions of the Arun District, the need to capitalise on this to increase the income derived from this, working together with local businesses, particularly the leisure and hospitality industry.

            The Chairman then turned to the written questions submitted in advance of the meeting, received from Councillors English and Edwards.  Councillor English advised that his questions were for Full Council, not Cabinet, but proceeded with his question regarding the reopening of London Road and the provision of a one-way movement through the Town of Bognor Regis.

A full schedule of questions, answers and supplementary questions and answers would be attached to the signed copy of the Minutes and would also be uploaded to the website as a separate document following the meeting.

The Chairman turned to questions from other Members and sought and received support from the Cabinet that questions asked at the meeting should be succinct and be in line with the procedure rules for virtual meetings, and that there would be an opportunity for a supplementary question arising from the response given.

A lengthy discussion on the report and associated activities then took place.  Members asked for clarification and assurance that the Council would continue to support local businesses and residents throughout the emergency and beyond. The Chief Executive acknowledged that the Council’s reactions may have been a little slow but there was pressures to deal with the guidelines issued by central government, particularly with regard to processing Business Grants, the guidance for which had been amended several times which impacted on speed of delivery of the financial assistance.  This emergency situation was very fluid and there were frequent changes to guidelines in response to the changing situation.  The Chairman commented that he and the Chief Executive have been in regular discussion with partners, stakeholders, Government offices, and other local authorities to consider and agree the Council’s approach and understanding of the support services available and how these agencies could work collaboratively to provide the support that was needed. 

There was a clear desire for a strategy to be taken forward to develop policies for how the Council would deal with the recovery phase and beyond. The Chairman clarified that the Chief Executive’s report included suggestions for how the future may look, and that any strategy had not yet been formulated whilst the Council was still deliberating what measures needed to be considered, taking into account the lessons learned from this emergency situation. The Chief Executive added that he would welcome any comments and suggestions to contribute to the recovery strategy. 

            Cabinet then noted the contents of the report and supported the actions taken.  A further report would be brought to Cabinet at its next meeting on 22 June 2020.

The Cabinet then

RESOLVED

That the actions identified in the report be noted and supported.