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Community spirit, cooperative solutions
The cooperative councils’ approach of co-designing services with those who are going to use them offers a model both for responding to the pandemic and recovering from it, writes Councillor Sharon Taylor OBE, Chair of the Cooperative Councils’ Innovation Network.
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CORONAVIRUS NEWS
Tests for essential workers
All essential workers in England – and members of their households – will now be eligible for coronavirus tests providing they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Over-65s and their households, as well as those who must leave home to go to work and have symptoms will also be eligible. Anyone working or living in a care home will also be eligible for a test, whether they have symptoms or not. Anyone eligible can book a test using the new ’getting tested’ online portal.
Working with Public Health England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and ADASS, the Government is piloting the despatch of ‘satellite' test kits directly to care homes across England to enable the testing of residents. So far, 4,760 tests have been delivered to more than 4,300 locations. More than 25,000 care staff have already been tested.
There are now more than 40 drive-through testing sites across the country, and, by the end of the week, 25,000 home testing kits will be available for ordering each day. A network of mobile testing units is also travelling the country to reach care homes, police stations, prisons and other sites where there is demand for testing. The network is expected to reach more than 70 units by the weekend.
The LGA has reiterated that the Government’s testing regime should also be complemented by making use of existing local knowledge and skills on the ground.
Further delay to PPE for care homes
The Government has partnered with online marketplace eBay to build a web portal that will allow care homes, pharmacies, GP surgeries and domiciliary carers to order personal protective equipment (PPE) from a dedicated supply chain set up by the NHS and the Armed Forces. In a letter to police forces this week, the Government said the online portal, which was due to launch earlier this month, has been delayed by an additional five weeks.
Recent media coverage has raised questions around whether the public will be expected to use PPE such as face masks as part of any steps to ease lockdown measures. With public health as the priority, the LGA has raised concerns with the Government about the pressure this will put on the already stretched supply of PPE and urged them to clarify guidance on this matter.
Funding allocations published
The latest £1.6 billion allocation of emergency coronavirus funding will be distributed on population size and local authorities’ specific needs, the Government has said. County councils will get 65 per cent, districts 35 per cent, and none of the money will be ring-fenced. Where there are separate fire authorities, a specific share for fire of 3 per cent will be used.
At the time of writing, we are awaiting the detailed letter from the Secretary of State confirming the funding allocations. The delay to the letter does not signal any doubt about the allocations. The LGA understands that Secretary of State Robert Jenrick MP is keen to use the letter to set out some of the Government's priorities and this requires cross-Government agreement.
Phased return to school
Gavin Williamson MP, Secretary of State for Education, confirmed during a virtual presentation to the Education Select Committee that schools and colleges will be opening in a phased manner, depending on the scientific advice. He said it would not be realistic or practical for all pupils to return at once and did not expect this term to be extended into the summer holidays. He promised schools would be given time to properly prepare for pupils’ return.
Rubbish tips to re-open
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP has asked councils to draw up plans over the next two or three weeks to re-open waste and recycling centres. Government guidance will be issued shortly. In our response, the LGA said that councils are keen to open sites as soon as practicable providing councils have staff available and adequate PPE. We also said that the Government would need to clarify its guidance on essential travel and warned that police could be needed to manage traffic queues due to an expected increase in demand.
MPs consider council finances
LGA Chairman Cllr James Jamieson and Chief Executive Mark Lloyd this week gave evidence to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee on the impact of COVID-19 on councils. They highlighted the vital role councils are playing in delivering PPE and raised the financial implications of the pandemic on councils.
Cllr Jamieson told the committee that while the £3.2 billion the Government has already provided gives councils “breathing space”, the need “could be three or even four times that amount” based on recent financial returns from councils. The LGA will continue to make the case that councils need an additional £10 billion as a result of falling income and rising costs.
Fair funding and business rates
The Fair Funding Review and the move to 75 per cent business rates retention have been deferred and will not be implemented from April 2021. The Government will continue to work with councils on the best approach to the next financial year, including how to treat accumulated business rates growth and the approach to the 2021/22 local government finance settlement.
Tracing contacts
Around 18,000 personnel, including 3,000 health professionals, could be deployed to help suppress the spread of COVID-19, as part of the Government’s contact tracing strategy. Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP said this week that the NHS’s contact tracing mobile phone application will be ready in two or three weeks, and that the Government is aiming to have the required volunteers in place before or by that time.
The LGA continues to make the case that any additional demand of testing, tracing and isolating on existing services will need to be fully funded by central government.
Bereavement package
Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP has announced that families of frontline NHS and social care staff in England who die from coronavirus will be entitled to a £60,000 payment. Care workers are also eligible, and the Government is looking into other groups of key workers and what schemes are already available to them.
Visa extensions for frontline staff
The Home Secretary has announced free, automatic one-year visa extensions for frontline health and care workers, with family members and dependants of healthcare workers who sadly pass away as result of contracting the virus to be offered immediate indefinite leave to remain. The LGA is seeking clarification on whether this announcement also applies to council employees.
Vulnerable children
The Children’s Commissioner for England has published local area profiles of child vulnerability during COVID-19. The LGA has reiterated that councils are working hard to identify children who may be at risk and are liaising with schools and families regarding school attendance.
The Department for Education (DfE) has published guidance on how councils can use their dedicated schools grant (DSG) funding differently in exceptional circumstances during the outbreak, to ensure they have enough places for children of critical workers and vulnerable children
It is also now publishing weekly statistics on school and early years attendance. This week’s statistics show that attendance last week reached around 2 per cent of normal levels. The proportion of vulnerable children attending doubled from 5 per cent the previous week, to 10 per cent.
Refuges running out of space
Dame Vera Baird, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, has told the Justice Select Committee that refuges for victims of domestic violence are running out of space, with many full or effectively closed. Last week, the LGA issued guidance on how to address domestic violence during COVID-19.
Support for SEND
The LGA has raised councils' concerns that school closures, staff sickness and the demand COVID-19 is placing on resources has made it difficult to deliver support for young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), as set out in their education, health and care plans. We know this has left some councils open to challenge.
The Coronavirus Act allows for the temporary removal or relaxation of statutory provisions, and we will continue to make the case to the Department for Education that councils require greater flexibility and clarity to continue to support the most vulnerable in locally suitable ways.
OTHER NEWS
Right to Buy reforms
The LGA has warned that deperately-needed social housing could go unbuilt unless councils are granted an extension to the time they are allowed to spend money from Right to Buy sales. We have called on the Government to extend the time councils have to use Right to Buy receipts from three to at least five years. This will give councils more time to spend the money, which is critical if we are to get building the homes the country needs once the coronavirus pandemic passes and recovery begins.
Social Work Together campaign
The LGA has been working with Social Work England on our Social Work Together campaign, which is designed to help councils address the demand for more social workers. The campaign provides an online platform for councils to connect with social workers, with 1,000 of them already signed-up and waiting to speak to councils about vacancies.
VE Day
The Government has announced a revised programme that will allow members of the public to remember and give thanks to the Second World War generation from the safety of their own homes. To find out more about how they can take part, members of the public can visit a new website which includes educational resources.
The Government is asking for council support in promoting the activities to our communities, by using the #VEDay75 hashtag when sharing activities online via social media.
GUIDANCE AND RESOURCES
Councillor guidance
The LGA has published guidance for councillors on community leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, and on how they can help with their council’s response. ‘COVID-19 outbreak: councillor guidance’ highlights the role that individual ward councillors can play in supporting their communities through these difficult times.
COVID-19 FAQs
The LGA continues to update responses to your most frequently asked questions on our website. This week we have new sections on transport, domestic abuse and community safety, with further updates on the topics of support for specific groups, deaths management and children and young people.
Adult social care tracker
The LGA has launched the COVID-19 Adult Social Care Tracker showing the impact that the virus has had on residential and domiciliary care, as reported by care providers. The tracker is hosted on our LG Inform platform, but requires a secure sign-in. Directors of adult social care have been asked to identify those who should have access to the data: please speak to them if you think you need access as well. This tool will be updated daily with the latest data reported by care homes as collected by Capacity Tracker, and from domiciliary care providers collected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It will give councils a quick and easy way to see the latest data by care provider.
LG Inform
Our LG Inform reports have been updated to include the latest COVID-19 data from Public Health England, showing the current position for councils and changes over time. The local authority report now shows a map of English authorities over time, and the England overview report contains details of the top 10 councils for lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Volunteers
The British Red Cross has more than 70,000 emergency response and community reserve volunteers. Their emergency response volunteers are fully trained to provide support in emergency situations at any time, while the community reserve volunteers can help provide basic supplies and maintain connections with vulnerable and isolated people. Any organisation, including councils, can make a request for volunteer support.
Meanwhile, councillors are now able to make requests for help on behalf of their vulnerable residents via the GoodSam app, which is used to request help from the NHS Volunteer Responders. Any councillors wishing to make a request will need to use their gov.uk email address.
New guidance and testing for care workers
Public Health England (PHE) has published a PPE resource for care workers delivering homecare during the outbreak, and alongside the Department for Health and Social Care has written to the care sector to provide further information on testing for social care staff.
Micro-loan scheme for small businesses
Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP has announced a new micro loan scheme to provide access to finance for those in need of smaller loans. Further details, including on the amount businesses can borrow and the eligibility criteria, have been published on the Government's website.
High street support
The Government has introduced new measures to prevent landlords from using statutory demands and winding up orders to collect rent from high street shops during the coronavirus lockdown.
EU funding guidance
The Government has clarified some of the concerns around current EU funding that many of our communities continue to receive. This includes guidance on what to do if COVID-19 has impacted on the ability to deliver certain projects, such as face-to-face training, and how to repurpose current projects towards local responses to the crisis, such as changing projects to help small and medium-sized enterprises respond to the crisis.
Leisure providers
The future of your leisure providers and the services they deliver continues to be a concern. We continue to raise this with Government. The LGA has now also published an advice note on why there are particular issues for leisure providers, some examples of how councils can and are supporting their local providers and some FAQs agreed with the leisure sector to help accelerate your local conversations. You may also be interested in Community Leisure UK’s latest member survey results on financial reserves in the sector; and UK Active’s four stage strategy to support the recovery of the physical activity sector, which we are supporting.
Training providers and apprenticeships
The Education and Skills Funding Agency has published details of a new post-16 provider relief scheme enabling training providers to recoup lost income as a result of COVID-19. As councils plan how to help residents acquire the skills they need to secure employment in the months ahead, it will be essential that they have access to a strong training provider base.
The Department for Education has launched a Skills Toolkit aimed at furloughed workers, and others that want to take the opportunity to upskill. It has also now enhanced its telephone and online National Careers Service offer for all those seeking careers information, advice and guidance. The LGA has previously raised concerns that training providers do not have the financial security that they need.
NHS ‘help us to help you’ campaign
The NHS is asking councils to help raise awareness of a new campaign to encourage the public to seek the urgent care and treatment they need. New findings show that four in 10 people are too concerned about being a burden on the NHS to seek help from their GP, while data suggests that A&E attendance so far in April has been about 50 per cent lower than this time last year. You can access campaign assets from Public Health England’s campaign resource centre.
Highways maintenance
The Association of Directors of Economy, Environment, Planning and Transport and the Highways Sector Council have issued new highways advice to enable councils to continue to safely carry out essential highways maintenance during the pandemic. It comes as the Department for Transport has announcement highways maintenance funding allocations for 2020/21.
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