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Welcome to the NAG and SOPO newsletter for 16 October 2020. Feel free to circulate to your colleagues.
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COVID stories
Procurement Policy Note: Cabinet Office update
The Cabinet Office issued guidance in Procurement Policy Note 01/20 in March for public bodies on how, in exceptional circumstances, authorities could procure goods, services and works with extreme urgency using regulation 32(2)(c) under the Public Contract Regulations 2015.
Contracting Authorities are reminded that this PPN was clear that in applying regulation 32(2)(c) they should continue to achieve value for money and use good commercial judgement.
The Cabinet Office also issued updated guidance in Procurement Policy Note 04/20 in June for contracting authorities on payment of their suppliers to ensure service continuity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. PPN 04/20 expires at the end of October 2020 and it will not be extended.
Contracting Authorities are reminded that they should have transition plans in place to exit from any contractual relief as soon as reasonably possible. These plans should be kept under review to reflect the changing situation. Where appropriate, transition plans should be captured in contract variations and/or there should be an agreed route to termination. Contracting Authorities are recommended to consider the impact of additional local or national COVID-19 restrictions on their transition plans.
Funding to support enforcement
The Government has confirmed councils and the police will equally share the extra £60 million in funding to help support compliance and enforcement of COVID-19 rules. We are pleased that the Government has heeded our call for flexibility, this will be helpful and address some of the pressures facing councils’ regulatory services. In the longer-term, we are pressing the Government to use the Spending Review to ensure councils have enough funding to maintain vital trading standards and environmental health services.
MHCLG has published guidance which states that the £30 million in new funding will be allocated to all district, unitary, metropolitan borough and London borough councils in England according to the COVID-19 Relative Needs Formula which was used to allocate the third tranche of general COVID-19 funding to councils. It will be ringfenced to spend on COVID-19 related compliance and enforcement activities. Local authorities have been encouraged by Government to consider using this funding for the deployment of COVID-19 secure marshals, or their equivalents. The full allocations to councils have also been published on the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS).
From 1 November, the JSS will provide temporary, localised support to businesses across the UK whose premises are legally required to close as a direct result of COVID-19 restrictions. A reminder that we have an explainer of the JSS on our own website.
The Local Restrictions Support Grant scheme
The Chancellor also confirmed that the Government is now making the Local Restrictions Support Grant scheme more generous so that businesses receive up to £3,000 a month and are eligible for payment sooner, after only two weeks of closure rather than three. The Government is also extending the scheme to include businesses which have been required to close on a national rather than a local basis, or which have not been legally able to reopen since the first lockdown in March.
Winter discharges: designated care settings
The Department of Health and Social Care has written to directors of adult services, copied to council chief executives, directors of public health and health partners, about putting in place designated accommodation to support COVID-19 positive people before they are admitted to care homes from acute hospitals, so that they are no longer infectious upon admission. The letter asks directors to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as soon as possible, using the proforma mentioned in the letter, with the accommodation they plan to use for this purpose, so that the CQC can organise an inspection and assure themselves that it is fit for purpose.
New hotline launched to report fraud
The Government launched a new hotline to report, anonymously and free of charge, suspected fraudulent activity by people illegally targeting support schemes that have been introduced by the Government to help those struggling financially.
Non-COVID stories
Birthday Honours List
Congratulations to Tina Butler, Head of Commercial and Procurement, Kent Fire and Rescue Service for her MBE for services to the Covid-19 response – a very worthy recipient from the local government community.
Freeports
The Government has confirmed that sea, air and rail ports in England will be invited to bid for Freeport status before the end of the year, with the Government aiming for the first of the new sites to be open in 2021. Following the LGA's lobbying on this issue, it is good to see concerns around economic displacement will be considered as part of the bidding and selection process and a commitment from Government to maintain high environmental standards. However, we remain concerned that the Government has yet to spell out where responsibility for upholding regulatory standards will lie and that the proposal to make use of permitted development rights in establishing future freeports risks further undermining councils’ and communities’ input into the planning process. We continue to raise these issues on your behalf.
Air quality
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has launched a consultation on which public authorities should be considered for designation as 'Relevant Public Authorities', meaning that they would have to co-operate with local authorities as an 'Air Quality Partner'. This is a new power, that the Government is intending to introduce through the Environment Bill, and DEFRA have indicated that they are keen to hear the views of councils.
Internet of Things for Local Authorities: helping local authorities to accelerate understanding and adoption of internet of things technologies
Digital Catapult and Connected Places Catapult have launched the IoTFLA Programme aimed at supporting local authorities and councils with the deployment of digital technologies to dramatically bring down costs and spark innovation within local boroughs by providing vast amounts of actionable and insightful data. Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, key challenges faced by local authorities and their economies and communities need to be managed through the transition from emergency response activity into long-term recovery support. The Programme will run in 2021 and be challenge based; local authorities will submit challenges which will be solved with the support of the Catapults and innovative start-ups and scale-ups. Contact rukmini.prasad@digicatapult.org.uk and john.pattinson@digicatapult.org.uk for further details.
Training and skills
CIPS applied learning route to MCIPS
CIPS is currently taking applications for its online applied learning programme commencing in January 2021, successful completion delivers full Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) status. An alternative to the examination route, participants are assessed via assignment and project work and the entire content is delivered virtually. The two programmes cover the syllabus for CIPS level 4 (Practitioner) and levels 5 and 6 (Advanced Practitioner). Assessment is via assignments and a project at Advanced Practitioner level Due to high demand, if you feel this route to your professional accreditation MCIPS is right for you, then please do not hesitate in emailing anita.hicks@cips.org
Webinars
Decarbonisation of transport webinars
In relation to the Decarbonising transport briefings, the LGA are hosting a webinar to accompany each briefing. See the full list of Decarbonisation of Transport webinars below:
National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCASC), 4-6 November 2020
Aimed at local leaders of adults and children’s social care, this annual conference will take place online this year. The joint ADASS, ADCS and LGA event will include a range of keynote, sub-plenary and panel sessions delivered by prominent figures in the adult, children and education sectors, including ministers
How do councils undertake a green economic recovery? 18 November 2020
The LGA is organising a roundtable discussion that will bring together councils to consider how they can move forward with their economic recovery from COVID-19 in a green and sustainable way. The session will be facilitated by one of the LGA’s Economic Growth Advisers, Chris Parkhouse, Managing Director of Deyton Bell.
Unfortunately spaces are limited, so please email productivity@local.gov.uk if you would be interested in attending by COP 6 November 2020.
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