Minutes:
The Chair asked Mark Norris to introduce the Covid-19 update and asked Board members to focus on how the LGA could help and what they could be doing as community leaders.
Mark updated members on the latest infection figures and said that they were expecting a 40 per cent daily increase in cases over the next few weeks which would inevitably lead to a significant increase in hospitalisations.
Mark explained that the Government’s focus was now on supporting the most vulnerable members of society – i.e. those aged over 70 and with underlying health conditions. He said that the LGA was now working with Government, councils and the community and voluntary sector to ensure that these vulnerable people could be supported in terms of food, shelter, medicines and mental well-being for potentially a period of 3-4 months.
Mark said that the LGA was keeping a log of issues raised by local authorities. Many councils were concerned about the extra financial resources they were going to need to support vulnerable residents through the crisis. He said that the Government had made £5 billion available to the NHS and other services in the first instance but they had also made it clear that more would be made available to councils as and when needed.
Mark said that they were in regular contact with Ministers and there was a council leaders’ call with the Secretary of State following this meeting, in addition to a call with the Prime Minister later in the week.
Mark finished by saying that if members had any issues or questions around Covid-19 to contact him or Ellie Greenwood in the first instance. He added that the LGA was currently re-prioritising its workstreams in the light of Covid-19 and that some areas of work would now unfortunately be receiving less attention, particularly if staff became ill and had to self-isolate.
Following Mark’s introduction, members raised the following points:
· Would LGA Board meetings still be going ahead? Mark said that this was still to be determined but it was likely that they would need to either be postponed or held remotely for a period of time.
· What could be done to tackle fake news around Covid-19 on social media?
· A significant number of residents couldn’t read English – how would information be relayed to them?
· How could people, who might be tempted to visit elderly relatives during the lockdown, be prevented from doing so?
· Councils should look at best practice from community / mutual aid groups and how councils interact with them.
· This should not be turned into a political issue. Councils should share data and information with elected members from all parties.
· There would be a need to relax planning rules in terms of the statutory time limits otherwise councils could be open to appeals from developers for non-determination.
· The issue of older and vulnerable people being scammed by people offering assistance was raised and what local authorities could do to stop it.
· Local authorities needed to get support in place for businesses who would be struggling in the current situation.
· The issue of continuing to uphold local democracy was raised. It was likely that many elected members would have to self-isolate or may catch the virus itself. This in turn might leave vacancies in wards and put additional pressure on those members who remained fit and healthy.
· The importance and responsibility of elected members providing authentic information to residents was emphasised. It was suggested that the LGA cascade daily briefings to all councillors with the latest information, so that all councillors are sighted on the current position.
· Members suggested that the above 70 age cut off was too simplistic as some over 70s were in good health and less vulnerable than many under 70s.
· There needed to be more clarity from Government and the LGA on the specific roles of councils and councillors during the pandemic. It was suggested that some councils and other organisations were not following advice and were going off on a tangent. For example, some councils were cancelling events, ward surgeries etc. whilst others were still going ahead.
Ellie noted that it had been agreed that the LGA would develop specific guidance for councillors on their role in responding to the Covid-19 emergency. Mark thanked members for their contributions and said that he would add their points to the issues log.
Decision
Board members noted the update.