Agenda item

To receive a presentation from Councillor Martin Stears-Handscomb, Leader of the Council.

The Leader of the Council thanked the Chairman for the invitation to address the Committee and gave a PowerPoint presentation regarding the following:

 

·                Progress in the last year;

·                Priorities going forward;

·                Responding to Covid-19;

·                Latest data

 

The Chair thanked the Leader of the Council for his presentation.

 

RESOLVED: That the Leader of the Council be requested to provide comparative National figures regarding Covid -19 to all Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Audio recording – 5 minutes 55 seconds

 

The Leader of the Council thanked the Chairman for the invitation to address the Committee and gave a PowerPoint presentation regarding progress in the last year, priorities going forward and responding to Covid-19 and drew attention to the following:

 

Progress in the last year

 

Highlights included that they had:

 

·                Set out to be a more welcoming and inclusive Council:

·                There was an effective joint administration of two parties;

·                Included all Members, for example the workshop for the Council Plan;

·                Overview and Scrutiny was an important critical friend to Cabinet;

·                They had a positive partnership with Directors and staff;

·                Turned around the Recycling and Waste performance and maintained the service to flats;

·                Extended the reach of our community engagement including through expanded Town Talks and Community Surgeries;

·                Continued work against modern slavery and around domestic abuse and safeguarding;

·                Took seriously the Climate emergency and set up a Cabinet Panel which had made good progress drawing ideas from community:

·                 Instigated the Climate change Implementation Group to take ideas forward;

·                Stepped up to needs of the pandemic and maintained services;

·                Thank you to all our officers and staff.

 

Priorities going forward

 

·                Continue the flexible response to the Covid-19 pandemic;

·                Review the Council Plan and Financial Strategy;

·                Taking forward the Peer Challenge Action Plan;

·                Look at ways to use technology where possible to do things differently;

·                Working with Partners;

·                Building back better with a green focus;

·                Listening to our Black and Minority Ethnic staff to respond appropriately to Black Lives Matter;

·                Get the NHDC Local Plan adopted;

·                Working with other Districts and Boroughs in strategic planning;

·                Supporting Strategic Planning in Northern E-W Corridor;

·                Initiating Cabinet Panels on:

·                Community Engagement and Co-operative Development;

·                Housing and Strategic Planning.

 

Responding to Covid-19

 

·                Holding weekly Leaders’ online Meetings;

·                Co-operating in Operation Shield and Sustain;

·                Responded to the Government request to “do what it takes” and they will pay, although the payments will leave the Council short;

·                LGA Surveys show that our residents value our response;

·                Preparing for any local outbreaks;

·                Reopening services whilst keeping safe

·                Part of the Local Outbreak Plan Board which includes all District and Borough leaders

·                Part of the Officers’ Board and Environmental Health officers’ group, which is led by Jim McManus – Director of Public Health

 

Latest data

 

·                236 Covid-19 cases in North Herts (26.2 per 10,000);

·                4,089 cases in Hertfordshire as a whole (34.4 per 10,000);

·                96 Covid-19 related deaths in North Herts (7.2 per 10,000);

·                1,055 deaths in Hertfordshire as a whole (8.9 per 10,000) being 51 in hospital, 40 in care homes and 5 in the community;

·                NHDC was prepared for local outbreak;

·                Provide a register of high-risk settings;

·                NHDC to take part in contact tracing.

 

The following Members took part in the debate and asked questions:

 

·                Councillor Sue Ngwala;

·                Councillor Terry Hone;

·                Councillor Tony Hunter;

·                Councillor David Levett;

·                Councillor Claire Strong;

·                Councillor Sam Collins.

 

In response to questions the Leader of the Council advised that:

 

·                As part of the Shaping Our Future programme, BAME staff would be asked to share their experience so that lessons could be learnt;

·                Recruitment was anonymised up to interview stage;

·                It was important to engage with all groups in the community;

·                Worked hard to maintain as many services as possible whilst maintaining services and recompensed customers for the suspension if the brown bun service;

·                Churchgate was on the agenda for the future;

·                Currently share Building Control with other Districts and were always considering opportunities to work with other Districts;

·                He was of the opinion that decisions regarding North Herts should remain in North Herts;

·                There were many options for local government re-organisation and he would work hard to maintain the interests and safety of our residents.

 

The Deputy Chief Executive advised that:

 

·                It took approximately 4 weeks to prepare the outside pools at a cost of £12,000. The daily cost per pool was £2,000 when open. If the pools had been kept in readiness to open the total costs would have been approximately £75,000 with no guarantee that they would be able to open;

·                There would be a public announcement later in the week regarding protections being put in place in leisure centre to enable opening.

 

The Chair thanked the Leader of the Council for his presentation.

 

RESOLVED: That the Leader of the Council be requested to provide comparative National figures regarding Covid -19 to all Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.