The Leader of the Council, Mrs Lintill will provide a verbal update.
Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed the Leader of the Council Mrs Lintill, who provided a verbal update regarding the Recovery Plan Review:
The Council’s clear priority for 2020/21 has been to support our residents, businesses and communities through the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and the recovery phase whilst maintaining our day to day services. This support has taken many forms this year.
Our Revenues Team began the year by implementing the multiple grants schemes for businesses based on their Business Rates value. Restrictions and government funding changed rapidly throughout the year and the Team worked hard to make sure as many as possible received financial support they needed. To date an excess of £54m has been paid out. In addition, £500,000 of COVID Recovery Grants, funded by the Council was administered by our Economic Development and Communities Teams and allocated to eligible businesses and community or voluntary organisations. Timely paid by our Finance Team.
Our Health Protection and Economic Development Teams both saw huge increases in the number of requests for advice from local businesses. Both Teams worked extremely hard to respond to all requests and ensure businesses were supported. Later in the year, two COVID Information Recovery Officers were employed to support businesses with reopening and operating in a COVID-safe way.
Support to individuals has also been provided this year. The Hardship Fund, administered by our Benefits Team, paid out around £350,000 to residents receiving Council Tax Reduction, with each receiving a one off payment of up to £150 towards their Council Tax balance. The Team also administered Test and Trace Support Payments and managed to set up the scheme and start making payments within just two weeks.
Since the ‘Everyone In’ initiative to bring all rough sleepers into accommodation at the start of the pandemic, our Housing Team have continued to work with rough sleepers, alongside our partner Stonepillow and supported by funding from the Government. This has meant a significant reduction in the number of people sleeping rough in the District, with many former rough sleepers being supported to access and sustain accommodation.
Supporting West Sussex County Council’s Community Hub, the Communities Team co-ordinated a small task force who helped collect and deliver essential food and medical supplies to those advised to shield. Well over 100 referrals for support were received this year.
When high streets began to reopen, our Community Wardens and, later, specially recruited and government funded COVID Ambassadors, helped the public to feel safe with a presence in the City Centre, reminding people to follow the appropriate guidance. We also provided safety signage conveying social distancing messages. This work will continue through 2021/22, along with other initiatives to support the return of the high street, funded through the Government’s Welcome Back fund.
The Council contributed to the national COVID response, with testing sites being set up in some Council-owned car parks across the District and use of Westgate Leisure Centre as a mass vaccination site. NHS staff, were also given free parking in our Northgate car park.
All of the public messages about COVID were co-ordinated and promoted by our PR Team. Their work helped residents, businesses, partners, councillors and staff stay well informed through clear, up-to-date communications across all our platforms. They also worked with the Observer newspapers to deliver an ongoing campaign to encourage people to ‘Support Local’ through the pandemic and in the recovery phase.
Our own services have been subject to restrictions throughout the year; all 3 of our Leisure Centres and our Novium Museum had to close, along with our cultural partners, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Festival Theatre and the Great Sussex Way. All these sites have adapted to delivering services in a different way, or with restrictions in place. Online services have increased, including provision of online fitness classes, online booking, expansion of the Virtual Museum, increased engagement on social media and live-streaming of performances. Other services have also adapted incredibly quickly. Our Choose Work Co-Ordinators and Wellbeing Officers were able to continue to support vulnerable clients over the phone or online. Online service provision was increased in Parking Services, with 97% of all parking season tickets now digital and a new online form introduced to allow parking issues to be reported online.
Although our main building has been closed to the public this year, our Customer Services Team have been working on plans for reopening, taking into account the increase in services provided online as a result of the pandemic. Most residents have been able to access the services they need without a face to face visit to the offices. Improvements to the reception area are currently being made, ready for the building to reopen to the public with a new service delivery model; maximising efficiency, whilst ensuring anyone who needs support to access services can receive it.
The Council has also supported our own staff this year. The vast majority were assisted by our ICT Team to begin working mostly from home. This included upgrading our Virtual Private Network and introducing remote meeting software for staff and, supported by Democratic Services, also for Members to allow Council meetings to take place remotely. Our Facilities Team were able to source materials and make adaptations needed for our main offices to become COVID-secure. The Wellbeing Team ran initiatives to support staff wellbeing during this time, with further support from the HR Team and Service Managers available to those who needed it.
Despite the pandemic, work has continued on some important projects that will support the District’s recovery in the future. The major regeneration project for the Southern Gateway area has continued, with a relocation site now purchased for one partner. The impact of COVID on this project and on the partners involved in its delivery will be reviewed in 2021/22.
Planning permission was secured this year for a redevelopment project at St James Industrial Estate, Chichester, which will provide around 4,448m2 of floor space across 5 new blocks. The Council was awarded £1.18 million towards the project from the Government’s “Getting Building Fund”, one of just 12 grants awarded from 117 applications. Units will be marketed and available for lettings later in 2021/22.
Work has taken place across all Council Services this year to identify a programme of savings that will now be implemented from 2021/22, with the aim of saving around £2 million over the next three years. This will ensure the Council continues to deliver excellent value for money in these changing times.
There is no doubt that 2020/21 has been a challenging year for everyone. As restrictions now start to lift and the recovery period begins in earnest, CDC will continue to engage with our local residents, communities and businesses about what they need to recover from the effects of the pandemic and how we can best support them in this.
The recovery report shows the full list of what has been achieved and I am really proud to have led an authority that has achieved so much during this very difficult period. I would like to thank the staff for the part they played in this outstanding performance and to the members who have served on the Recovery Group.