Issue - meetings

This report provides a further update to previous reports summarising the Council’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which were presented to Cabinet in April and May 2020

The Chief Exective presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The Chief Executive advised that this report provided a further update to previous reports summarising the Council’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which were presented to Cabinet in April and May 2020. In presenting the report the Chief Executive stressed that the situation was constantly moving, and that current work was working towards recovery and now included work around the recent changes to the lockdown rules announced the previous evening and effective from the 4 July which includes the reopening of the tourist and hospitality industry.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board addressed Cabinet advising that whilst there were no formal recommendations from the Board that the Board had started to hand over the responsibility of the Covid matters to the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committees whose meetings were shortly due to recommence having been initially on hold. The Chairman did however stress that as the Overview and Scrutiny Board met monthly that should there be some business to be dealt with in between the dates of the other two Committees that the Board have offered to deal with this.

Cabinet Members provided an update in relation to the impact the Covid-19 pandemic was having within their Portfolio with emphasis on the work which was being carried out in terms of recovery. Thanks were expressed to the officers for their hard work.

Councillor Diana Butler addressed the Cabinet with the permission of the Leader and as a Ward Councillor in Creekmoor in respect of the Covid Testing Centre currently based within the Creekmoor Ward. Councillor Butler asked the Cabinet how long the testing centre would be situated in Creekmoor and whether there were figures available in terms of the number of tests which had been carried out and how many of those had tested positive for Covid-19. In addition Councillor Butler asked how long it would be before the whole Council would be involved in decision making rather than the Chief Executive taking decisions.

The Leader advised that the testing centre was likely to be in place for some months yet, and stressed that the centre was not run by the Council and nor did the Council have any involvement in its activities, and that it was run by the Department for Health and Social Care, and that as such the Council weren’t provided with figures in respect of the numbers that test positive at that site which collected data from other mobile sites, and that Public Health England hold figures which are available on their website.

With regards to decision making the Leader advised that the decisions taken by CIMT were operational decisions and that decisions which required full Council approval were still being taken by Council.

RESOLVED that the Council’s response to  ...  view the full decision text for item 181

The Chief Exective presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The Chief Executive advised that this report provided a further update to previous reports summarising the Council’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which were presented to Cabinet in April and May 2020. In presenting the report the Chief Executive stressed that the situation was constantly moving, and that current work was working towards recovery and now included work around the recent changes to the lockdown rules announced the previous evening and effective from the 4 July which includes the reopening of the tourist and hospitality industry.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board addressed Cabinet advising that whilst there were no formal recommendations from the Board that the Board had started to hand over the responsibility of the Covid matters to the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committees whose meetings were shortly due to recommence having been initially on hold. The Chairman did however stress that as the Overview and Scrutiny Board met monthly that should there be some business to be dealt with in between the dates of the other two Committees that the Board have offered to deal with this.

Cabinet Members provided an update in relation to the impact the Covid-19 pandemic was having within their Portfolio with emphasis on the work which was being carried out in terms of recovery. Thanks were expressed to the officers for their hard work.

Councillor Diana Butler addressed the Cabinet with the permission of the Leader and as a Ward Councillor in Creekmoor in respect of the Covid Testing Centre currently based within the Creekmoor Ward. Councillor Butler asked the Cabinet how long the testing centre would be situated in Creekmoor and whether there were figures available in terms of the number of tests which had been carried out and how many of those had tested positive for Covid-19. In addition Councillor Butler asked how long it would be before the whole Council would be involved in decision making rather than the Chief Executive taking decisions.

The Leader advised that the testing centre was likely to be in place for some months yet, and stressed that the centre was not run by the Council and nor did the Council have any involvement in its activities, and that it was run by the Department for Health and Social Care, and that as such the Council weren’t provided with figures in respect of the numbers that test positive at that site which collected data from other mobile sites, and that Public Health England hold figures which are available on their website.

With regards to decision making the Leader advised that the decisions taken by CIMT were operational decisions and that decisions which required full Council approval were still being taken by Council.

RESOLVED that the Council’s response to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 181