|
Dear Colleague,
Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the three people who lost their lives, and the people injured and affected, following the appalling terrorist attack that unfolded in Forbury Gardens in Reading on Saturday evening. As is so often the case with these horrific instances, the swift and brave response of the emergency services in acting quickly and preventing further harm shone through. I know the whole local government family will want to support the councillors and officers at Reading Council, including their leader Cllr Jason Brock and their Chief Executive Peter Sloman, as they continue their vital work supporting affected residents and communities.
Turning to COVID-19, this week is expected to be another busy one as we get further details on the easing of restrictions. This evening, we have heard details of the next steps in the measures to support people deemed ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ who are currently shielding. You can read more about this announcement, what it means for local support and the priorities we are pushing on your behalf, below.
You will have seen the media speculation that suggests that, tomorrow, the Prime Minister will set out the next steps for the reopening of the economy. Given that the COVID-19 alert level moved from Level 4 to Level 3 on Friday, it is likely that the hospitality sector will be given the green light to reopen from 4 July. This means pubs, restaurants, hotels, hairdressers and nail salons could begin to welcome customers once again. Elsewhere, there are also suggestions that Mr Johnson could make announcements on the two-metre distancing rule and the possible expansion of household bubbles. Of course, once we have official confirmation from the Government, we will share the information with you.
Today we celebrate Windrush Day and the Windrush generation, recognising the British Caribbean community and their vast contributions to our social, economic and cultural life since their arrival on the Empire Windrush 72 years ago. Although this year’s celebrations will take on a very different form than usual, it has been great to see how councils up and down the country have been celebrating their residents and communities. I hope those of you who may be celebrating with your communities, families and loved ones have had an enjoyable day.
Finally, as part of our virtual annual conference series of webinars I will be chairing a closed session for chief executive colleagues, where you can hear reflections from council CEOs across the country about your shared experiences and learning from leading the local response to COVID-19. The webinar will take place on Thursday 2 July, 10-11.30am, and will provide a great opportunity for us to pause and reflect on one of the most difficult challenges we will have faced in our careers. Invitations with further details will be sent directly to you later this week.
This evening’s Number 10 Press Conference
This evening’s Number 10 Press Conference was led by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock. He was joined by Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jenny Harries.
The Health Secretary began the press conference by announcing that 15 people died from COVID-19 today. Every death is a tragedy, but it is a relief that the figure is the lowest since the lockdown began.
Mr Hancock also announced that the 2.2 million people with underlying health issues who are most at risk from COVID-19 will no longer be required to shield from 6 July in England. The clinically vulnerable will be allowed to shop and mix with up to six people. Further information on the changes to the Government’s shielding programme and what this means for local authorities is below.
Shielding
I was pleased to join almost 350 chief executives and senior colleagues on the call with Chris Townsend OBE, Chief Executive, and Ben Llewellyn, Director from the Shielding Programme in MHCLG to hear an early overview of the changes announced by Matt Hancock in the daily briefing this evening. The desire to provide councils with advance notification is a demonstration of how crucial local government has been in supporting vulnerable people during the current crisis. Councils should all receive further and more detailed information, with follow up regional calls led by MHCLG planned. People who the Government has previously advised to shield should receive letters tomorrow or Wednesday setting out the change in advice and this should be shared with councils, with communications also sent to local health partners.
In summary, the new guidance, which is based on the latest advice from the Chief Medical Officer, means that the advice to the shielded group is to be adjusted in two stages:
- From 6 July there will be a relaxation of measures: people in the shielded group will be able, if they wish, to meet groups of up to six people outside, will no longer need to social distance from other members of their household, and will have the same option as other single adults to form a support bubble with other households.
- From 1 August, the advice to shield will be paused: the group will be advised to follow strict social distancing measures, in line with people classed as vulnerable. The cohort will be able to return to work and educational settings, go outside to buy food, to visit places of worship and to exercise, but on the basis that strict social distancing measures can be observed.
Crucially for councils, the food parcels and medicinal supplies provided by the National Shielding Programme will stop from 1 August, but access to priority supermarket delivery slots will still be available as will support from the NHS Volunteers Scheme. The ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ categorisation will remain in place and the shielded patient list will be maintained after this time, with councils receiving the data list on a regular basis. Individuals still will be advised to contact their local authority if they are concerned about support after this time.
It’s very positive that there are now clear steps towards a planned return to a more normal life for people whose lives were most dramatically changed as a result of the pandemic. From a council perspective, there are a number of important issues that we will be pushing the Government for clarity on as the programme is amended.
The first is the continuing costs of supporting this group up until the end of July, where there was a commitment from MHCLG earlier that Government would continue to fund councils for their work on this. Councils have continued to make the links between the shielded group and support for other vulnerable groups locally, particularly where there are issues of dependency and food poverty, with links made to the recently announced £63 million for local hardship. We are clear that this funding for welfare support generally not just shielded support.
Similarly, a number of those on the call this afternoon reflected concern about the potential challenges in supporting people to become independent again, particularly if their financial circumstances have changed during lockdown after four months of food parcel deliveries. We also know many of the shielded group may be anxious about the change in advice or may suffer lasting mental health and wellbeing impacts as a result of their experience that will require support locally.
Chris Townsend outlined the new ‘Account Based System’, which will replace the current excel spreadsheets with a new data management system based on individual records for each member of the cohort. With data flows between the Government and councils set to continue, we will keep making the case for a better system that reduces data demands, that isn’t retrospective, and which is designed with councils.
Finally, there is a significant piece of work still to do to ensure that councils are able to co-design plans for a future service to be activated in the event of any local, regional or national lockdown following a new outbreak. The shielding stakeholder engagement forum and LGA will be meeting later this week to continue those discussions. Do please keep feeding your concerns and issues into our Principal Advisers and/or your regional reps on the group.
To help councils communicate these changes to your residents, the Department for Health and Social Care and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published an explainer which helps to address some of the common questions public bodies might anticipate. This can be used for copy on councils’ websites.
Access to food
Around 100 councils have already signed up for a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) programme that enables vulnerable isolated people to access priority online delivery slots in two major supermarkets. DEFRA is keen to encourage other councils to sign up through a more streamlined application process. The scheme is aimed at supporting those who are self-isolating or following enhanced social distancing who can afford food and can shop online but don’t have friends, family, neighbours or volunteers able to help. It is available to all councils in areas where the two supermarkets have coverage. Councils are asked to submit an ‘expression of interest’ form to Covid19_referrals_to_retailers@defra.gov.uk. Councils will then be directed to complete the application process through an online web portal. The programme is in addition to the support to access food currently available for the clinically vulnerable ‘shielded’ group outlined above, and ongoing work to support those who cannot afford food.
On Thursday 25 June at 10.55 am the Defra Non-Shielded Vulnerable Food Vulnerability Team will be undertaking a webinar for those local authorities not yet on board, but interested in signing up, to the scheme. This will include a short presentation, some case studies from actively referring local authorities, and a question and answer session. The above email address can be contacted to book onto the webinar.
Test and trace
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that a new COVID-19 saliva test is to be trialled in Southampton from this week. Tests will be completed by participants at home, by transferring their saliva into a sample pot. More than 14,000 GP staff, other essential key workers and university staff and their households will participate in the first phase of the trial. It is thought that saliva testing could potentially make it easier for people to take COVID-19 tests at home and detect cases earlier. The details of those who test positive will be shared with the NHS Test and Trace programme so contact tracing can start immediately. The pilot will be jointly led by Southampton City Council, the University of Southampton and the NHS, alongside a wider network of public services in Hampshire.
Adult social care
This afternoon senior NHS and social care officials, including Sir Simon Stevens, CEO of NHS England, Sir Chris Wormald, Permanent Secretary at DHSC and Catherine Frances, Director General at MHCLG, appeared before the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee to discuss “readying the NHS and social care for the COVID-19 peak.” MPs expressed concern about the perception that adult social care was thought of after the NHS, were critical of the discharge of patients from hospitals to care homes with no testing and highlighted the lack of clear guidance for care homes at the beginning of the crisis. Officials stressed that they were following the scientific advice at the time. MPs also raised the NHS volunteering scheme, PPE availability, the adequacy of funding, and the care home provider market.
Housing
Yesterday we launched our ‘Delivery of Council Housing – Developing a Stimulus Package Post-Pandemic’ report which set out our calls for a post-pandemic building boom of 100,000 affordable homes a year to provide housing fit for social care, health and other key workers who have fought coronavirus. The report also sets out how social housing can help the country economically recover post-pandemic. The report sets out a range of recommendations to Government on what funding and powers councils will need to be able to reach this ambitious target. Our calls were featured in the Observer and the Times and picked up a lot of support on social media.
Planning
The Government has announced a series of measures aimed to help the construction industry boost building. These will be introduced this week. This includes extending planning permission deadlines. This means that sites with consent where planning permission would have expired between the start of lockdown and the end of 2020 will have their consent extended to 1 April 2021. We have welcomed this measure which will enable construction activity to start again without the need to potentially have to start the planning process again. The Planning Inspectorate will also be granted the ability to use more than one procedure - written representations, hearings and inquiries - at the same time when dealing with a planning appeal, with a view to enabling appeals to happen much faster. Measures will also be introduced to allow builders to agree more flexible construction site working hours with their local council for a temporary period. We have made clear that flexibility on hours needs to be negotiated on a site by site basis with councils so that the impact on local residents and businesses can be fully taken into account.
We know that councils’ vital role in housing, planning and infrastructure will be essential as we all seek to kickstart the economy in the coming weeks and months. In all our conversations on these issues on your behalf, we continue to make the case for a properly resourced local plan-led system.
Windrush Working Group
The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has today launched a Cross-Government Working Group to address challenges faced by the Windrush generation and their descendants. The Group will input into the Home Office’s response to the review of the Windrush scandal, develop solutions to addressing the wider challenges that disproportionately affected people from Black and wider minority ethnic backgrounds, and advise on the Windrush Schemes Community Fund.
High Streets
Councils are working hard in leading the recovery of their high streets and town centres. An analysis of shopper concerns and preferences from the retail data and analysis company Springboard is helpful to inform further actions that councils and local businesses may wish to take in their efforts to support the reopening of town centres. This includes implications for council services, such as libraries. For example, observing social distancing (29 per cent), limiting the number of people in stores (26 per cent) and the availability of hand sanitisers (22 per cent) are the main elements which would make people feel safer.
Elsewhere, a new report, Building Back Better, from the Grimsey review team sets out how COVID-19 could be a disruptive shock to change high streets for the better. It adds that “post pandemic town centres will need the most radical shift in power from central government to local communities ever seen if high streets are to remain relevant.”
Security risk assessments
As tragic events over the weekend have reminded us, terrorism and other security threats remains substantial. It is essential that we continue to be mindful of these as we, businesses and other organisations adapt our operations, policies and procedures in the light of COVID-19 measures.
The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) are reminding organisations of the need to ensure that security risk assessments are undertaken, to help ensure good security is maintained as far as possible and that there are no unintended security consequences as a result of changes made during the emergency response period. Particular security implications raised by CPNI include queueing, search and screening, maintaining vigilance for potential threats and access controls.
CPNI has published specific security advice related to COVID-19. There are also a range of resources available on NaCTSO’s website.
Food Standards Agency funding
The Food Standards Agency is inviting bids from councils in England for funding in the 2020/21 financial year to help with EU transition preparations related to imported food and animal feed. Councils interested in bidding for this funding should submit their application before the first round of bidding deadline of Tuesday 30 June 2020. Further information can find be found on the Smarter Communications website or by emailing Imported.Food@food.gov.uk.
Local government finances
On Sunday, MHCLG published high level summaries of the April and May rounds of the financial management information survey returns. Whilst this matches the information we shared with you in my bulletin on 5 June, it is helpful to see the Government officially publish the information.
Friday saw the deadline for submitting returns to the June round. We will receive information that you have submitted to MHCLG in the coming days and will use the data in our further work on securing the next package of measures that the Government confirmed it is considering. For example, we have commissioned LG Futures to look at the issues related to local tax income. This would not be possible, or as powerful, without all of your hard work in preparing and submitting information to MHCLG.
As always, feel free to get in touch with information you would like to share with us by emailing lgfinance@local.gov.uk.
Elsewhere, today the Institute for Fiscal Studies published a briefing note setting out their view on how different local authorities could be exposed to a different nature of financial risk arising from the impact of COVID-19. This briefing note comes alongside a financial risk dashboard which brings together a series of indicators and allows local authorities to compare themselves against other councils on those metrics.
Takeovers of businesses
Changes to the Enterprise Act 2002 were laid before Parliament today and will come into effect tomorrow. The economic disruption caused by the pandemic may mean that some businesses with critical capabilities are more susceptible to takeovers. These new powers will enable the Government to intervene if a business that is directly involved in a pandemic response – for example, a vaccine research company or personal protective equipment manufacturer – finds itself the target of a takeover. The changes would mean combatting a public health emergency would be added to the list of specific public interest considerations that could permit the UK Government to intervene in a merger. Currently these are national security, media plurality and financial stability. As this could have an impact on councils’ future supply chains, I thought this update was worth sharing.
Parliament this week
There are some important debates and questions of interest to local government scheduled in Parliament this week, particularly around health and care. In the Commons, on Wednesday there will be an Opposition Day debate on post COVID-19 NHS care and the future of service delivery, as well as a debate on Thursday on petitions relating to the recognition and reward of health and social care workers. Over in the Lords, there will be questions on school closures and ensuring adequate stocks of PPE.
In the Select Committee corridors, this afternoon the Public Accounts Committee heard evidence from Catherine Frances, Director General at MHCLG, on readying the NHS and social care for the COVID-19 peak. Catherine appeared alongside Sir Simon Stevens, Chief Executive at NHS England and senior officers at NHS Improvement, Public Health England and DHSC. On Wednesday the Transport Committee's inquiry on the impact of coronavirus on transport continues with MPs hearing from the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps. We will share any interesting updates in our communications to you.
Away from COVID-19, a big focus for the LGA will be the Fire Safety Bill as it is due to be scrutinised at Committee Stage in the Commons on Thursday. We are working with MPs to get our proposals around fire risk assessments, fire doors and fire safety orders debated in by the Committee. We believe our amendments will improve what is an important piece of legislation that will improve the safety of residents.
Schools
We have been asked to signpost councils to a suite of support materials produced by the Association of Educational Psychologists to support their members.
Good practice
The good practice webpage continues to grow with more examples of the work that councils are doing to response to COVID-19 and its consequences. The most recent additions include items on adult social care (including recruitment), a virtual family court and emergency food distribution.
A reminder that we are now seeking recovery/renewal related case studies, to help provide councils with current examples that will be of help during this next phase. If you are involved in work that other councils may benefit to learn from, please send your submissions to research@local.gov.uk.
I hope this bumper beginning of the week update was helpful. As always, if there's anything else you think we should be featuring in either our public-facing lobbying work, or private discussions at the highest levels of government, please do feed that in by liaising with your Principal Adviser. They are helping us to determine how we can best support councils.
|
Best wishes,
Mark Lloyd
Chief Executive
Local Government Association
@MarkLloydLGA
|
|
 |
|
