COVID-19 emergency: Safer and Stronger Communities team update

Purpose of report

For information.

Summary

This paper updates the Board on the activity undertaken by the Safer and Stronger Communities team to support the LGA’s response to the COVID-19 emergency since the Board’s last meeting in mid-March.

Recommendation That the Board note work to date and provide direction on any future work. Actions Officers to take forward as directed.

Contact officer:	Mark Norris

Position:	Principal Policy Adviser

Phone no:	07798 534781

Email:	mark.norris@local.gov.uk

COVID-19 emergency response: Safer and Stronger Communities team update

Background

Since the last meeting of the Safer and Stronger Communities Board, the focus of the team’s work has shifted to substantially focus on supporting the LGA’s COVID-19 emergency response work. While some areas of work, specifically around building safety, have been broadly maintained in line with existing plans, the focus of all other SSC workstreams has shifted to respond to the implications of the COVID-19 emergency. Alongside this, several the team have been involved in supporting other LGA COVID-19 workstreams in areas that fall outside the remit of the Board.

The COVID-19 emergency has led to some scheduled events being postponed and means that some planned areas of work have been delayed: these changes are summarised in the end of year report and future Board priorities paper. This paper updates the Board on the team’s COVID-19 work to date and looks ahead to our expected future work in the coming weeks and months.

Issues

The Board has policy responsibility for a number of areas that are critically important to any emergency response (notably civil resilience and emergency planning) and which sadly have been highly relevant to the COVID-19 response (specifically mortality management). However, as members will be aware, no council service or LGA policy area has been untouched by the response, and there have been implications for all of the team’s core work areas.

Emergency planning / Local Resilience Forums

Ironically, the Board meeting on 16 March, as the COVID-19 crisis was clearly escalating, provided a timely opportunity for the Board to consider our work programme on resilience issues, including hearing from the British Red Cross and National Emergencies Trust about their work in emergency responses. Following the meeting, officers moved quickly to develop a COVID-19 specific version of our councillor guide to civil emergencies. This was published within a few days of the Board meeting, and was extremely well received by councillors and officers as guidance on the role that members could play in the response (it is currently the second most viewed LGA publication). We have subsequently followed that up with guidance for councillors on civil emergency structures, which is being published alongside the LGA leadership team’s new guide for leaders and cabinet members.

The team has also taken the lead role on national engagement with civil resilience structures, notably engaging with MHCLG’s Resilience and Emergencies Division, national structures for Local Resilience Forum (LRF) discussions, and participating in a multi-agency COVID-19 foresight working group.

Shielding structures and supporting vulnerable people

With LRFs having originally been tasked with establishing structures to support the Government’s shielding programme, designed to protect people who are clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) to COVID-19, members of the team have also been working as part of the LGA’s supporting vulnerable people workstream. This has accounted for a significant amount of LGA capacity and, from within the SSC team, of both the Principal and one of the Senior Policy Advisers’ time in particular, reflecting ongoing issues with how the centrally established framework operates at a local level.

There are a number of issues that the supporting vulnerable team continue to focus on, including:

ongoing issues with data flows from the shielding team to local councils in relation to the CEV cohort and those among them whom the Government has successfully contacted to confirm their support needs

an increasing interest within Government of the support needs and potential food vulnerability of groups who are not CEV but may have challenges in accessing food despite being able to afford it, and the mechanisms available to support this group

recognising the needs of a much wider group of people who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing food poverty and financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.

Our work on these issues has been based upon a number of key principles, in particular: highlighting that councils have already put in place a wide range of measures locally to support people who are vulnerable as a result of the COVID-19 emergency, regardless of whether they are in the CEV shielded cohort of vulnerable for other reasons; the need for a proportionate approach to data gathering from and monitoring of councils, to reduce the impact of this on councils focusing on delivering local support mechanisms; understanding the significant financial impacts on councils arising from the support mechanisms put in place linked to COVID-19.

A related issue which the team is now focusing on is the mechanism for supporting vulnerable people who may be required to self-isolate as a result of the NHS Test and Trace system, in particular ensuring that this is linked into local structures and a that a separate, centrally led architecture is not developed in this space.

Death management

The team has been working at pace to understand the issues affecting the death management process during the pandemic and to support local communities to cope with increased numbers of deaths, in particular with the establishment of temporary mortuary space across the country. At the same time, we have been engaging with central government to ensure that national guidance preserves local discretion and that central government is aware of the challenges, both practical and financial, that this work presents to local authorities.

We have responded quickly and effectively to a range of emerging issues. We have worked with trade bodies to agree satisfactory responses to councils concerned about operating crematoria without more flexibility on remote operation or qualifications of staff, and with government to streamline the death registration process and to clarify whether cemeteries and crematoria grounds can remain open under current regulations.

The LGA has been working with central government to ensure they consider the concerns of local authorities across all its COVID-19 workstreams. On this workstream, that has included working with MHCLG to influence guidance on the operation of Schedule 28 of the Coronavirus Act (which created new powers relating to the death management process), persuading them to involve a wider group of practitioners to ensure the effectiveness of the guidance. Another key concern that we have consistently raised with both MHCLG and Public Health England is the need for them to emphasise that funerals should be conducted promptly and to have a reduced number of mourners in attendance to aid social distancing.

We continue to liaise with the Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat through regular meetings where we highlight ongoing issues, including the struggle to access appropriate PPE for those involved in the death management process and ensuring that local government are properly recompensated for the financial commitments they have made to put additional storage capacity in place. As we move through the next phase into some form of recovery, we will need to continue to engage with government on issues such as reactivating birth and marriage registration in a manageable way with social distancing; the potential for increased funeral poverty; social distancing at funerals and in places of remembrance; long-term cemetery planning and supporting the resilience of funeral directors.

We have established a Bereavement Services Sounding Group and a Registrars and Coroner Managers Sounding Group which have helped us to understand local impacts as they emerge. We will continue to use these groups as we progress through the recovery stage to test government assumptions and inform our lobbying positions as we go forward.

Licensing and regulation

Business closures under new coronavirus legislation and restrictions on peoples’ movement have had a significant impact on the licensed sector. Pubs and clubs have been forced to close, demand for taxis has reduced considerably and businesses such as kennels have seen business largely disappear as pet owners stay at home.

In response to this, councils have been receiving a large number of requests from licensees, both for advice about how they should be operating their businesses in a safe and legal way where they can continue to open, and for support at a time where normal operations have been disrupted and the viability of some businesses has been brought into question. Councils licensing teams have also had significant challenges to contend with as both officers and Members work through how to practically manage the administration of licences and decision making. We have been supporting a large number of our members on this by answering queries, signposting to advice and raising issues with relevant government departments.

The LGA has sought clarity from the Government on the approach that councils should be taking on various issues both to provide a level of assurance and to support consistency across the country. While Government has not provided detailed responses to many of the issues arising, the broad steer is to encourage councils to take a pragmatic approach where there is discretion to do so. Kit Malthouse MP wrote to chairs of licensing committees to endorse this approach and it is one that the LGA has also supported.

In April, the LGA developed practical guidance for councils on approaches to managing licensing during the pandemic, reflecting practices and approaches councils were already using. The guide sets out some key principles as well as picking up on issues around licence fees, procedures and hearings and non-compliance. The guidance, alongside other relevant information related to licensing is hosted on a the LGAs covid-19 hub. We have also issued advice notes for councils on mobile caterers and the use of temporary screens in taxis which are hosted on a the LGAs COVID-19 hub, alongside other relevant information related to licensing is.

Beyond licensing, trading standards and environmental health officers have been responsible for enforcing the premises side of the health protection coronavirus regulations which made provision for a number of public health measures to be taken to reduce the public health risks posed by the spread of COVID-19. These regulations have been overseen by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, and have generally been implemented very smoothly: figures suggest councils have issued a reasonably low level of prohibition notices and have for the most part focused on providing advice and guidance to businesses. Trickier issues for councils to judge have included premises that sell goods that may be deemed essential (eg food) and non-essential, and how these should be managed, and certain types of businesses that in some cases do not sit neatly within the original regulations, such as garden centres and hand car washes.

We have highlighted to Government the significant demands and expectations on environmental health services in particular, given the implications of social distancing measures on the implementation of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which councils enforce in a number of local premises; the potential diversion of resources to support local contact tracing, and the resumption of business as usual activity (eg food safety) as the economy begins to reopen. The LGA and councils are emphasising the need for both additional resources, and also clarity about prioritisation of activity.

We have also engaged with the Government, National Police Chiefs Council and ACRO Criminal Records Office regarding the handling of the fixed penalty notices that the police can issue in enforcing the stay at home regulations as they relate to individuals. The LGA has been working with the Home Office and ACRO to ensure the payments of these fines is distributed to councils (upper tier, as designated by the regulations).

In line with the regulations, ACRO will transfer the payments they receive to the respective, appropriate local authority where each fine is issued. Due to the way the regulations have been drafted this will be to ‘tier one’ authorities – unitary authorities, metropolitan districts, London boroughs and county councils. Details of the exact information required is including in this letter and there is also a flyer which provides information on ACRO’s involvement in this process.

Domestic Abuse

There has been widespread recognition of the fact that the coronavirus pandemic and stay at home measures could have serious implications for victims of domestic abuse victims, who would face greater exposure to those perpetrating the crime. It was understood the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate and escalate domestic abuse, given that this has been a clear trend in other parts of the world. In light of this, the LGA is speaking regularly with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, the Government and the domestic abuse sector to ensure we are doing all we can to tackle domestic abuse, and the Commissioner has written an article on this for First magazine.

The LGA has published a guide for councils on tackling domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guide includes resources to help councils support domestic abuse victims and tackle perpetrators’ abusive behaviour. The guide has been downloaded over 2,000 times and is being regularly updated with the latest policy and funding announcements.

On funding, in May 2020, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), announced £76 million in extra funding to support survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, vulnerable children and their families, and victims of modern slavery. This is being supported as part of a £750m fund to support the charity sector in response to coronavirus. MHCLG also announced that domestic abuse survivors will automatically qualify for priority need under the council duty to relieve homelessness: the follows the Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, Luke Hall MP, writing to all local authorities to ask them to work closely with the domestic abuse services in their area, providing support where necessary in order to protect victims, for example by providing crisis funding to safe accommodation services. Our LGA media response promoted the tireless work councils are undertaking to protect and help those who are most vulnerable during this pandemic.

In April 2020, the Home Office announced £3.1 million will go to specialist services for children who have both been directly and indirectly affected by domestic abuse. The new funding will be split between local authorities, children’s charities and Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales. The Home Secretary has also previously announced that the Home Office is working with charities and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to provide an additional £2 million to immediately bolster domestic abuse helplines and online support.

The LGA gave written evidence covering domestic abuse to the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry which considered Home Office preparedness for Covid-19 (Coronavirus). Our concerns about the fall in children’s social care referrals are featured in the Committee’s final report. The LGA also raised concerns about support for domestic abuse victims in our written evidence submission to the Women and Equalities Committee, as part of their inquiry on Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the impact on people with protected characteristics.

Early release of prisoners

The team has worked with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service on proposals to enable the early release of prisoners nearing the end of their sentences, as part of a suite of measures to reduce the risk of infection within the prison estate. This has been an issue of significant interest for councils, who were concerned that prisoners would be released with no accommodation to go to, particularly towards the end of the week; however, the MoJ confirmed that only prisoners who have suitable accommodation and whose healthcare needs (including COVID-related ones) can be safely managed on release are eligible for both schemes.

Temporary restrictions were put in place to minimise movements between prisons and reduce face-to-face probation meetings to avoid offenders and staff becoming infected with coronavirus. These measures included the early release of low-risk offenders, temporary expansion of the prison estate, and work to reduce the number of those held on remand. Consideration is now being given to how these restrictions can be cautiously rolled back over the coming weeks and months. The Ministry of Justice has announced this will happen within national frameworks for prisons and probation. The LGA continues to work with the Government and the HM Prisons and Probation Service on this important issue.

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

The LGA has been working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to raise councils’ concerns about unauthorised encampments. The Minister sent a letter to councils highlighting the importance of supporting vulnerable people during the COVID-19 outbreak, which is available on our LGA coronavirus hub. The LGA will continue to liaise with the Government and councils about support for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community and responding to unauthorised encampments.

Counter-extremism and community cohesion

We have seen the emergence of a number of extremism issues related to COVID-19. In the early stage of the pandemic in the UK, this included reports of hate incidents related to the outbreak, mainly targeted at Chinese (or other East Asian) communities. While face-to-face incidents inevitably reduced as lockdown measures were introduced, there are concerns that the pandemic has been used to fuel extremist narratives (particularly on the far right), with an increased focus on COVID themes online, and that there is the potential for physical incidents to increase as lockdown measures are eased. Some of this online activity remains focussed on Chinese communities, but there has also been increased targeting of Muslim communities in particular; examples have included the circulation of (fake) videos or memes claiming to show Mosques still open alongside claims that authorities are not taking action for fear of being labelled as racist. Several councils have reported concerns about simmering community tensions and how this will play out as the country emerges from lockdown.

A number of conspiracy theories have been propagated relating to the pandemic, which have seen mainstream circulation/advocacy in an unprecedented way. Examples include theories relating to the origins of the virus, often with anti-Semitic/anti-elite undertones, and blaming the 5G network for either causing the virus, helping it to spread, or lowering immunity to it. The latter has seen over 70 attacks on 5G masts (or what are perceived to be 5G masts) across the country, with engineers also receiving threats of violence.

While anti-lockdown protests have not seen widespread support so far, it is possible that any future returns to stricter lockdown measures may lead to protests attracting more mainstream backing.

In the longer-term, it is likely that the anticipated severe economic downturn will further exacerbate ‘blaming’ and ‘othering’ narratives; economic decline and rising inequality (or perceptions of these) have traditionally provided fertile territory for extremists.

We have been working with colleagues at the SIGCE to explore these themes, encouraging councils to share their experiences and challenges through the SIGCE’s Knowledge Hub, and to share resources and research into emerging issues. We held an initial SIGCE roundtable with council officers at the end of April to discuss emerging issues and what support councils might need in response, and a further roundtable is planned this month. We are also proceeding with plans to run a webinar for local authorities focussed on online extremism.

In the Prevent space, there have been some concerns about increased risks from radicalisation during lockdown; with schools largely closed over recent weeks, Prevent referrals have decreased significantly and there are fears those at risk may be being missed. We have been promoting a recent campaign from Counter-Terrorism police to help encourage increased community reporting and have been discussing how to address this further with Home Office officials.

We have also been discussing wider cohesion issues with MHCLG colleagues and are exploring the potential for some further work to capture and disseminate positive examples of community cohesion which have emerged during the pandemic response, as well as help support the sector to respond to cohesion challenges across a variety of themes which are likely to emerge in the coming months.

Beach safety

Councils representing coastal areas have had to deal with large numbers of people descending on their areas over recent weekends since restrictions were partially lifted and good weather has continued. This has been a real issue for those councils responsible for beach safety as the RNLI suspended lifeguard provision this year due to COVID-19 and only rolled out a small handful of lifeguards at beaches in late May whilst the rest of the lifeguard provision remains suspended. Over the late May bank holiday two people drowned at a beach in Cornwall and the following weekend saw three people airlifted to hospital after jumping off cliffs in Dorset.

The LGA has been lobbying government to provide better national messaging about water safety which acknowledges that people going to beaches need to behave responsibly. We have called for guidance that provides advice on how councils can address any legal liabilities they might face including how they might revise risk assessments that may have previously focused on the provision of lifeguards given that this service may not be available this summer. We have also called for advice from government on whether for example councils should be opening facilities such as toilets, or whether that encourages visitors and increases the risk of spreading infection.

Looking ahead to stabilisation and recovery

Given our role on resilience, the team are currently working closely with the LGA’s COVID-19 programme management office to help scope out the organisation’s work to support councils as local places begin the likely slow process of moving through a period of stabilisation and recovery. As set out in the Board priorities paper, we expect a key theme to be developing a sector view on how emergency response structures have fared, and what amendments will be required to strengthen these for future responses.

However the country continues to progress out of the current lockdown, there will be significant implications for councils (and by extension their communities) in terms of the transition from current service levels and priorities to some form of business as usual (BAU) working and services, and from existing emergency response structures into normal structures and geographies.

Within the team, we have already begun thinking about this. On licensing, issues, we have had some early discussions with the Home Office about practical considerations around enforcement to inform discussions about the government’s exit strategy. We have been clear that re-opening could present an enforcement challenge and that councils and businesses will need clear guidance on how this can be managed. The LGA, alongside the Greater London Authority and National Police Chiefs Council, is taking part in discussions with a group of hospitality sector experts which has been convened to offer advice to government on plans to re-open pubs, bars and restaurants.

On safer communities issues, whilst there are signs that knife crime and serious violence in a public space has decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the police have reported that county lines networks have adopted new models to continue to sell and distribute drugs. For example, using taxis more frequently to transport drugs and some using food delivery outfits to disguise their activity.

There have also been reports from community safety and public health teams that the purity of drugs being sold has diminished, as international supplies are hampered. There are concerns about the decrease in children’s social care referrals and safeguarding concerns about vulnerable children at risk of serious violent crime. Certainly, as we look towards the recovery period, the issue of county lines and serious violent crime will become an increasing priority for all councils and their partners.

Serious violence in a public space may be lower, but unfortunately reports of domestic abuse and calls for domestic abuse support are significantly higher. The LGA guide on domestic abuse highlights a number of these concerns and the resources available to councils to help address the issue locally. It will be important that domestic abuse support services are in place and adequately funded to provide help to victims as the lockdown measures are lifted, as well as ensuring there are the necessary interventions and programmes that perpetrators can access to help change their behaviour. It is particularly timely that the Domestic Abuse Bill is progressing through Parliament, which we hope will seek to address some of these key issues.

Financial Implications

The work outlined above has been undertaken within normal team resources.

Next steps

Although the LGA is currently taking steps to restore a more normal rhythm of meetings and work patterns it is clear that, like our members, COVID-19 will dominate our work for the foreseeable future. SSCB workstreams are likely to continue to focus on the implications of the pandemic over the coming weeks, although where possible officers will look to try to resume areas of work that were being planned before the emergency, recognising that some of this work may be fundamentally altered by the impact of the virus.