Agenda item

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not published elsewhere)

The CE introduced the report and informed Members that the District had been very busy with tourists during July and August, which had required working collaboratively with local businesses to maintain a safe environment with very low Coronavirus transmission rates, which was a positive outcome for the Council. He added that this had caused additional pressures on services with regards to cleansing and litter collection. It was reported that the Council had also administered the discretionary business grants scheme, with final payments agreed on Wednesday 9^th September. The CE stated that the Council had been successful in securing a tourism support grant that would be administered in the coming months, in addition to the Council’s existing efforts that included the use of a fogging machine to deep cleanse high contact areas such as public conveniences and play areas. He added that the Council had also been successful in securing £1.17m of funding from the Getting Building fund, which would support the delivery of the North Walsham Heritage Action Zone project. With regards to the Council’s leisure contracts, it was reported that there had been funding pressures for the Council as it was obliged to support the facilities during closure, though the leisure centres had been reopened for dry sports from 15^th July, and swimming facilities in Sheringham and North Walsham had reopened from 20^th August. The CE noted that officers and Members continued to take part in the Norfolk Resilience Forum, and the new Health Engagement Board to ensure that Norfolk’s Coronavirus response remained in-line with national guidelines.

Questions and Discussion

  i.         The Chairman noted that he understood North Norfolk had one of the lowest infection rates in the country, then asked whether the recent outbreak that had occurred south of Norwich had any impact on the District. The CE replied that there was an understanding that meat production plants were particularly vulnerable to wide scale transmission, though Norfolk was a pilot for the local outbreak control plan, and Public Health Norfolk had maintained clear lines of communication whilst handling of the event. He added that there were no factory employees resident in North Norfolk, but County-wide sharing of knowledge and best practice had taken place as a result of the crisis. The CE stated that the low rate of infection in Norfolk following the outbreak, suggested that it had been handled appropriately, and hopefully this approach would continue.

 ii.        Cllr J Toye stated that there were concerns that when children returned to school, hidden cases of domestic abuse may become more visible, and asked if there had been any indication of this, and whether any support was available for victims. The CE replied that the Council was party to multiagency response networks for these circumstances, though he was not aware that there had been any significant increase reported in the District. He added that some referrals for homelessness, loss of tenancies and subsequent family crises had been referred to the Council, and suggested that he could report back if these were above historic levels. The Chairman noted that a number of tenants had lost their accommodation during the crisis, and asked if there was any further information on the reasons for this, as it was his understanding that an eviction ban had been in place. The CE replied that he would look to provide more detail on the issue following the meeting.

iii.        Cllr L Shires referred to point 2.8 on p37 regarding mobile testing facilities, and raised concerns that many residents were not able to access adequate testing. She asked if the issues would be resolved soon, and whether NNDC had been informed of any remedial action. The CE replied that the Council had not received any complaints on testing up to the last few weeks, though as children returned to school across the country, this had increased pressure on the testing system. He added that he and the leader had raised concerns with Members of Parliament, though testing capacity was a national issue that required Central Government action to resolve.

iv.        Cllr H Blathwayt stated that he had been very impressed by the Council’s response to the crisis, but asked if there had been a democratic deficit caused by the remote nature of Councillor’s work. He added that in some cases responses from the planning department appeared to have been delayed by staff absences, then asked if the number of delegated decisions had increased as a result of the crisis. The CE replied that the lockdown had required a number of delegated decisions to be made, mainly with regards to the closing and reopening of public conveniences and play areas, which had been reported to both Cabinet and OSC meetings. With regards to the potential issues of democratic deficit, the CE stated that with the current restrictions in place on public meetings, remote working had provided a transparent way for Council’s to continue to operate. Finally, on the planning issues, it was reported that a single point of contact had been put in place for the department to monitor the response times of different teams, though this would be kept under review and feedback was appreciated. Cllr H Blathwayt replied that the planning contact had been excellent, though it may be necessary to appoint a deputy to cover absences.

 v.         Cllr G Mancini-Boyle asked if there were to be a local Covid outbreak within the District, was there a working plan in place to control this. The CE confirmed that there was a plan in place, which included a locally managed contact tracing system for Norfolk, with an NNDC team available to make house-calls if necessary. 

vi.        Cllr P Heinrich referred to the possibility of a second lockdown and asked if contingency measures were in place to manage this. The CE replied that plans were in place and the local coordination centres could be re-established if required, to deliver food and medicine. He added that social distancing measures remained in place following the end of the peak tourism season, and there was anecdotal support for these to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

vii.        Cllr L Shires noted that the majority of the public appeared to have accepted wearing masks and sanitising when entering shops, and asked whether there were any plans to reissue these guidelines to reassure higher risk residents. The CE replied that as a public authority NNDC would continue to promote the national safety messages which at present was hands, face and space. He added that this message would continue to be promoted through all Council channels, in addition to other messages such as the rule of six. In reference to the still shielding individuals, it was hoped that as tourism numbers began to fall moving into the winter, that high risk residents may begin to feel safe and reassured about going out in public.

viii.        The recommendation was proposed by Cllr H Blathwayt and seconded by Cllr L Shires.

RESOLVED

To note and comment upon the Council’s actions during July and August in supporting communities and businesses across North Norfolk in managing Recovery from the Coronavirus Pandemic; and in preparing for an anticipated increase in infections during the autumn and winter months ahead.