Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive.

The Chair welcomed the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources to the meeting.

 

The Director of Strategy introduced the report that would be considered by Cabinet at its meeting scheduled to be held on 9 July 2020.  He added that the report was part of the regular reports on Covid-19 submitted to Cabinet and it was being presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the purposes of the Questions & Answer Session that evening.  The report updated Members on the latest situation and advice, including the economic impact of the pandemic and the Council’s plans for recovery.  The report also addressed the need to learn lessons which had been raised by the Committee at its last meeting.

 

The Leader of the Council referred to the report and drew attention to the emerging issues, particularly in relation to Children Looked After (CLA).  The Leader added that in moving away from the crises, issues around mental health and self-harm had become evident.  The Council was also facing significant financial challenges and further government announcements setting out how they would support Councils were awaited.  He stated that 10,000 residents of Harrow were on benefits, the income received from Council Tax had dropped and many residents had been furloughed.  The economic situation was challenging and many residents were likely to be made redundant and training and development would become vital in order to reskill residents into other types of employment.  The Council was working as part of the West London Alliance, which was looking at ways to rebuild the economy and deliver on a low carbon economy.

 

The Leader was pleased to report that many businesses in Harrow had opened on 4 July 2020 and had managed their venues well by adhering to the guidelines.  He thanked officers for their work.

 

The Committee asked the following questions:

 

Question 1:

Services provided by the Adult Social Care to those shielding had been impressive.

Questionnaire to residents needs to capture the changes required to critical and social care provision?

What were the pressures as a result of the increase in the number of children in care?

 

The Leader agreed that those shielded had received an excellent service from the Council and had been looked after well.  Adult social care staff had been offering welfare calls to those on the shielded list during the early part of the pandemic, as part of the 7 day per week service.  He added that the pressures in social care were challenging but the Council was working well in this area.

 

The Corporate Director of People outlined the issues around mental health presentations which had increased three fold since the pandemic. The number of those attempting suicide had increased and 42 cases had been reported since 23 March 2020.  There had been a significant interest in the number of children in care.  These changes were putting pressure on front line staff who were working a full week.  The Council was working with its partners in order to support each other.  One of the lessons learnt was the importance of a ‘whole system’ approach and there was a need to consolidate and strengthen the workforce and to provide support systems.

 

Question 2:

Harrow was mostly made up of micro businesses employing up to 10 people.  In the current economic climate, these businesses would become extremely vulnerable and the Council’s economic development team was too small to provide support?

 

The Leader explained that due to the points outlined in the above question, the Council was working with the West London Alliance and looking ahead to provide:

 

-               digital connectivity - connecting entrepreneurs and micro businesses together;

-               financial support and training where English was not the first language;

-               workspaces;

-               accelerator schemes, prosperity funds which the Council was bidding for;

-               co-ordination and guidance on how to run an efficient business;

-               support in the provision of interest free loans and grants;

-               entrepreneurship, such as the model in Hammersmith.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources stated that it was important to recognise the business identity of Harrow as a large number of people were self-employed and the make-up of Harrow businesses also included a large number of retail.  It was therefore important to make Harrow as a destination to do business and shop.  The Covid-19 economic crises was more significant than the financial crises and tough times lay ahead.

 

Question 3:

What was the position in relation to the distribution of Business Grants as some remained outstanding?  When would the situation be resolved?

How had the collection of Council Tax fared and what were the projections?

 

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources outlined the initial challenges which had delayed the distribution of grants which had been due to the technology available and staffing issues.  However, to date, £33m had been distributed to businesses but a number remained outstanding due to the complexities of the cases.  With regard to the distribution of discretionary business grant, the challenge had been to identify those that needed help.  A small amount of money was available for distribution and only a few businesses would benefit from the discretionary grant.

 

In respect of the collection of Council Tax, the Portfolio Holder stated that the Council had fared better than other authorities as the initial approach taken ‘if you can pay, pay’ had helped but the loss would be substantial.  He would provide the Members with the projections.

 

Question 4:

What had been impact on transport?

 

The Leader of the Council reported that air quality had improved and the number of people travelling by public transport had also reduced.  The number of people returning to work was low and more people were walking or cycling.  This had led to a serious debate about the use of vehicles as a mode of transport.  In Harrow, vehicle use had previously been high and the Council needed to keep the numbers low.  A great deal of vehicle use was due to the school run but it had been noted that the younger generation were using other modes of transport and were not totally reliant on cars.  Hybrid models were also being considered.

 

Question 5

StreetspaceProgramme

Parking Issues – Belmont Circle, Kingsbury – discouraging people from shopping there. Representations received from businesses.  The Council needed to listen to businesses?

 

The Leader of the Council stated that works to the highways/roads was financed by the Council’s Capital Programme and the funding received from Transport from London (TfL) known as the LIP (Local Implementation Plans).  However, the LIP was no longer available and the funding for road safety schemes had stopped.  Various projects had therefore been paused and would resume when funding was available.

 

The Leader added that the government had announced the need to put traffic measures in place and a number of schemes had been bid for to help improve pedestrian access and cycling lanes but some schemes had been rejected.  A number of small schemes had received funding which needed to be in place by September 2020, such as the scheme for Belmont Circle.  Consultation on such schemes would be carried out and funding was dependent on their implementation.  The Council had successfully bid for £638,000 from the TfL in the London Streetspace Plan which supported walking and cycling initiatives.

 

It was important that the schemes approved were implemented in order to improve the situation for businesses as well.  Measures around parking and enforcement were being slowly reintroduced to support the reopening of businesses and prevent obstruction.

 

Members were informed that the majority of responses received in respects to the Council’s website had been positive.

 

Question 6:

Digital Connectivity – What support had been provided to businesses?

Young people and employment – What specific measures had ben put in place?

 

The Leader reported that the Council was working in collaboration with the businesses and internet providers to improve internet speed.  It was recognised that people were not used to working from home, which also impacted on their mental health.  Online training and support for those working remotely was being considered.  The Council’s Economic Development team was looking to commission training programmes to help re-skill residents.  The West London Alliance (WLA) was looking at apprenticeship levy and the impact of Covid-19 on Heathrow Airport which recruited locally.

 

The Leader stated that he was also concerned about children attending schools, particularly the impact of Covid-19 on 14-year old pupils, and was looking at measures to support them in their health and wellbeing.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources was keen to provide access to digital technology which would provide access to online platforms and services.  Otherwise, access to Universal Credit and services such as the recycling booking system at the Council’s Depot would become meaningless for many.  Accessibility to technology and training would be required. 

 

With regard to the Council’s own ICT rollout, the Portfolio Holder explained that the upgrading was underway and risks would need to be managed.  The target was ambitious and, if successful, the Council would be at the forefront in the provision of IT in local government.  The existing contract would be brought in-house in October 2020.

 

The Leader explained the problems encountered with the Council’s online recycling booking system, such as queuing and blocking off of roads which had also been of concern to the emergency services.  He also explained why the system could not be accessed on mobile phones and tablets.

 

Question 7:

Opening of all schools in September 2020 – How would the limited space in schools be managed?  What safeguarding measures would be put in place? How would children travel when space on public transport was limited?

 

The Corporate Director of People informed Members that his team, including the Director of Public Health, was working with headteachers and governing bodies to ensure that appropriate safety measures were in place to allow all children to return to school in September.  All parties were committed to the challenge and he had great faith in the community of schools in Harrow which would find creative solutions to achieve the required objective.

 

The Council had a statutory duty to safeguard children and was working with the stakeholders with a view to offering help earlier.  He was pleased to report that families were responding well to digital contact methods.

 

Question 8:

With regard to page 14 of the supplemental agenda, paragraph referencing the pause in consultation and engagement and the need for the Council to fully understand the impact on Harrow’s communities of the pandemic … and that residents in our BAME communities were more likely to suffer the negative impacts either from the virus itself or the economic and social shocks which would follow.  Could you please explain how these would arise?

 

The Director of Strategy explained that the Health and Safety Executive was meeting regularly to look at the impact on different communities. The understanding was that occupations within the BAME Communities, including other aspects of their lives, had exposed them considerably to Covid-19.  More work was being done with Public Health officials on exposure and co-mobility in order to understand how life styles impacted negatively.  For example, within the Somali community, a man was most likely to be employed as a mini cab driver and a woman would usually be employed as a care worker.  By virtue of their employment, they were likely to have an increased risk of catching Covid-19.

 

Question 9:

Would the Council be restoring all its services?

 

The Leader of the Council reported on the challenges the Council was facing in bring back its services.  The majority of staff were working from home and would continue to do so due the challenges in opening the Civic Centre as outlined in the report.  Front line services were being restored and some staff had been relocated into different jobs.  Staff working in the education service were under a great deal of pressure and would need to continue working during the Summer break to ensure that all schools opened in September 2020.

 

The Leader paid a tribute to the resolve of staff, teachers and governing bodies in their work to ensure that schools opened in September as required by the government.

 

The Chair of the Committee thanked officers, Members and the Portfolio Holders for their participation in the Question & Answer Session.