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Morning everyone. I hope you’ve all had smashing weekends.
Changes to the Executive
I’m really delighted to let you know that Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz (pictured left), who many of you will know as our Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families has been appointed as our first female Black deputy leader.
We also have two new faces on the Executive. Cllr Nurullah Turan (pictured centre) will be our Executive lead for Health and Social Care, while Cllr Sue Lukes (pictured right) will lead our newly created Community Safety portfolio. I’m sure you’ll join me in giving a warm welcome to our new Executive Leads and in congratulating Cllr Comer-Schwartz on her new post.
The changes have been made following Cllr Janet Burgess’s decision to step down from the Executive this month. Thank you so much Cllr Burgess for everything you have achieved – particularly on behalf of our older, disabled and vulnerable residents.
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Stepping up our preparations as Covid-19 cases increase
Islington's Covid-19 cases have been lower than most other London boroughs throughout the pandemic. As of 13 September we have had a total of 762 confirmed cases, 1.7% of London’s total. However, it’s clear that cases are now rising locally – a pattern that is repeated across London. You’ll see from the graph below that there we are now seeing more positive cases.
Cases (7-day average) in Islington between 8 March and 13 September 2020.
(Infection levels and Covid-19 related deaths in Islington are updated weekly on the council's website.)
It’s only right that we take theses increases seriously. So, from this week our Gold emergency planning team will begin meeting again three times a week to monitor the situation and our response.
The best chance we have of keeping cases down is by following the government's rule of six, getting tested if we have symptoms and by making sure we:
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Wash our hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds each time
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Cover our faces in enclosed spaces and where social distancing isn’t possible
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Make space and keep our 2m distance whenever possible.
Test and Trace
Test and Trace is a key part of the NHS Covid response. So, from today all staff who are working on site, or visitors to our buildings who spend more than 15 minutes here, should complete an online form or a paper form to leave details. The best way for staff to do this is by scanning a QR code on yellow posters that you should see on display in staff areas from today. This applies to all council premises, excluding council homes. There’s more information on izzi.
If there is a case in a council building, the new Building Test and Trace system will allow us to trace close contacts much more quickly and easily - one of the key ways we can slow the spread of coronavirus.
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Joseph is Apprentice of the Year!
Last week I was busy congratulating one of our apprentices, Charlotte Hughes for her fantastic achievement at the 2020 London Borough Apprenticeship Awards. This week is the turn of Joseph Huston-Mendy, who has scooped the big award of Apprentice of the Year.
In response to Covid-19, Joseph has gone above and beyond his usual duties. He volunteered to be redeployed to the Islington Distribution Centre to provide deliveries to food banks and vulnerable people across the borough. Within two weeks, he was promoted to Logistics Manager and shortly after, he was promoted again. Joseph adapted quickly and alongside the coordination of the centre is responsible for all operational staff. His leadership has resulted in the effective and increased delivery of both emergency food parcels and surplus food deliveries during a time when these provided a lifeline for some residents of Islington.
Joseph really does embody what our new Be Islington approach is all about – he’s collaborative, ambitious, resourceful and empowering in all he does and this is a very well-deserved award. Congratulations Joseph, it’s an absolute pleasure to have you on our team.
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Welcome Cassie
I’m so delighted to have a new member of my team! Cassie Casimir joins me as my new PA. Cassie started in her role last week on a six-month secondment from the Housing Repairs team. I’m excited to have you on board Cassie. It’s a busy, fast-paced role but I know you’re up for the challenge!
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New accessibility laws
Colleagues across the council have been working to make our web and digital content more accessible ahead of new laws that come into force this Wednesday (23 September).
We’ve made some good progress. Our council website is now rated ‘good’ for accessibility. However, 97% of the documents on the site are still not accessible. If you’re a document publisher, or responsible for producing documents for the website or for izzi, it‘s important you are aware of the laws. There are accessibility guidelines in the Accessibility Hub on izzi, and document publishers must attend the 45-minute accessibility training course to help you in creating more accessible content and documents.
14% of our residents have a disability, as do many of our staff and they could be missing out on important information. It is so important we get this right - and it links with our vision to make Islington fairer, because sadly it is often the people that need our services the most that struggle to access them.
And finally... grab a brew with a colleague
Today is the deadline to sign up for the latest round of Brew Crew. I know that many of us are missing some of those informal chats with colleagues and Brew Crew is a great way to take a break from the day job and get to know a colleague from another team. We’re running Brew Crew virtually for the time being, so you can join in wherever you work. Sign up by the end of today by dropping a line to brewcrew@islington.gov.uk. If you’re already on the mailing list, you’ll be matched up with your next partner soon.
Thanks so much have a great week. It's payday this Friday, and you should see your 2.75% pay increase on your pay slips. It’s backdated to 1 April 2020, so look out for that!
Linzi
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