Minutes:
(1) The Leader stated that his update would focus on the impacts of COVID including the authority’s response and plans for after lockdown. He set out some of the achievements including remote working and virtual meetings.
(2) Mr Gough highlighted the work had been undertaken with the district and borough councils and other partners to support those who were shielding including the development of local hubs to support Kent’s most vulnerable residents and the launch of ‘Kent Together’.
(3) Mr Gough commended the engagement work that had taken place between Council staff and Kent Schools to ensure that pupils were able to access education during the time that schools were closed to most pupils, and the assistance provided to enable pupils to return to school.
(4) Mr Gough said that over 15,000 calls had been made by Kent County Council’s social workers to ensure the safety of vulnerable children during the COVID-19 outbreak.
(5) Mr Gough referred to the temporary closure of household waste and recycling centres in Kent and paid tribute to the Cabinet Member for Environment, as well as the Head of Commercial Management and Waste Services and his staff in managing the issues related to the closure.
(6) Mr Gough highlighted the support to charities through the Kent Community Foundation and businesses through the Kent and Medway Business Hub and support for the care sector.
(7) Mr Gough stated that an urgent executive decision had been taken to purchase bulk Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for use by Kent County Council staff and for mutual aid to Kent County Council’s service providers where they were unable to source supplies.
(8) Mr Gough stated that the interim Strategic Plan would focus specifically on the Council and county’s renewal phase. It would include the inter-related issues of school return, public transport, town centres and economic revival, the use of new technology and ways of working, changes to Kent’s estate, and Kent County Council’s engagement with the public.
(9) Mr Gough said that the work on the interim Strategic Plan would be central to setting priorities for a challenging financial environment. He referred to Kent County Council’s 2020-21 budget which had also been affected by the impact of COVID-19. He stated that Kent’s additional expenditure, loss of income and savings had reached approximately £120m for the current financial year. He said that government support totalled £65m, excluding additional costs likely to arise during the renewal phase or loss of income from a drop in council tax collection rates. He added that, the County Councils Network regularly drew the government’s attention to the financial pressures faced by the local authority sector as a result of the pandemic. He said that, whilst it was likely that some of the financial gap would close, the 2020-21 budget would be re-visited at the County Council meeting in September 2020. He said that it was likely that the following 3-5 years would present sustained financial challenges which must be addressed by realism, a commitment to financial stability and resilience as well as adherence to Council’s priorities set out in the Strategic Plan.
(10) Mr Gough referred to recent events in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd and the issues that the events had highlighted across the world. He said that Kent County Council, both as an employer and as a community leader, must constantly reiterate and practice its longstanding values of equality and respect for those who worked with KCC and for the people they served. He stated that David Cockburn, Head of Paid Service and himself, as Leader of Kent County Council, had issued a joint statement reaffirming these values and recognising the importance of staff groups and forums for minority groups within the workforce.
(11) Mr Gough highlighted the arrival of large numbers of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) in recent months and commented on the progress made addressing many UASC-related issues. He said Kent County Council had received £5m from central government, a commitment from ministers to support the placement of young people with other local authorities and to continue the dialogue on the longer-term issues. He recognised that there was no long-term solution, but the level of commitment from ministers was encouraging.
(12) In conclusion, Mr Gough referred to Kent’s Energy and Low Emissions Strategy and confirmed that plans for zero carbon emissions from the Council’s estate would be considered by the County Council in July 2020.
(13) Mr Bird, the Leader of the Opposition, endorsed the commendation made by Mr Gough in relation to the efforts and resourcefulness of staff in responding to the pandemic. He also commended Mr Gough as Leader of Kent County Council for the genuine leadership he had displayed over the last three months and his willingness to inform and engage with all Members of the Council. He said that Kent County Council had responded well to the pandemic in exceptionally difficult circumstances and he emphasised the importance of learning from the past when planning for the future.
(14) Mr Bird referred to the recent announcement from central government to extend Free School Meal vouchers over the summer holidays and the way in which central government had addressed issues relating to the COVID-19 outbreak. He added that much of the financial burden would fall upon local government, making it extremely difficult to nurture the renewal phase.
(15) Mr Bird suggested that in re-visiting the priorities in the Strategic Plan and Budget, attention should be paid to: educational inequalities; continuing to assist schools to ensure engagement with pupils; supporting schools to re-open to all pupils in September 2020; ensuring respite for carers; working with employers, further education colleges and others to find ways of creating employment for young people; as well as rebuilding an attractive and safe public transport network.
(16) Mr Farrell, Leader of the Labour Group, thanked staff and key workers for their efforts during the pandemic. He commented on the government’s response to the pandemic and said that care workers, who had been described as low-skilled workers, deserved the same recognition as NHS staff. He also said that people in lower socio-economic groups and from Black and Minority Ethnic communities, who had suffered disproportionately during the pandemic, should be central to the national recovery plan. He said the Leader was right to refer to events in the United States and that the Labour group would work constructively with the administration on its response to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign.
(17) Mr Farrell commended the way in which Kent County Council had provided leadership throughout the current crisis, making fair decisions on matters such as PPE acquisition, mortuary provision, launching ‘Kent Together’ and supporting the care market, whilst also securing further funding for the services provided by Kent, for unaccompanied asylum seeking children, on behalf of the country. He also said that as Kent County Council moved into the recovery phase of the pandemic crisis, public feeling about the provision of PPE, the discharge of patients with Covid-19 from hospitals to care homes, and the lack of knowledge as well as the lack of sensitivity about deaths in care homes displayed by the Minister for Health and Social Care needed to be taken into account. He further criticised the government for blaming local authorities for providing an inaccurate picture of local conditions; for claiming to write off NHS debt having underfunded it for ten years; the delayed and confused approach to tracking and testing, the absence of clarity relating to lockdown rules; the late introduction of quarantine for people arriving from abroad, the publication of a plan to re-open schools that was considered by teachers to be unsafe; confusion about the requirements to wear face masks, and the lack of understanding of the challenges faced by many families living on low incomes.
(18) In conclusion Mr Farrell said that Kent County Council should continue to support local voluntary organisations and the county’s economy, by championing Kent and its businesses. He further said it was important that the Council recognised the impact of lockdown on residents, particularly on the most vulnerable, including those experiencing social isolation and that it took action to address educational inequalities which had been exacerbated by the lockdown.
(19) Mr Whybrow, Leader of the Independents Group, congratulated the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council on their new roles and thanked the Chairman’s predecessor for her hard work over the last 12 months.
(20) Mr Whybrow echoed the thanks of the other group leaders to Council staff and key workers for their efforts throughout the COVID-19 crisis. He also drew attention to the sacrifice and commitment made by frontline staff and urged that the Social Care structure, funding, resources, as well as staff training and renumeration be reviewed with a view to promoting frontline roles.
(21) Mr Whybrow emphasised the importance of a clear, sustainable model for local government funding to allow essential services to be rebuilt. He referred to the recent County Councils Network survey which had predicted a shortfall of £2.5bn to £4.5bn by April 2022 across the sector and said the value of local authorities must be properly acknowledged.
(22) Mr Whybrow referred to Kent County Council’s renewal phase. He emphasised the importance of focusing on the green economy, local job creation, active travel and issues related to personal debt, unemployment, educational inequality and mental health.
(23) In conclusion, Mr Whybrow said Kent County Council and other local authorities had responded well to the pandemic and risen to the challenge in many areas, It was now necessary to demonstrate innovation, vision and commitment to rebuild Kent communities which should be underpinned by the legal powers and necessary funding from central government.
(24) In replying to the comments from the Group Leaders, Mr Gough expressed his appreciation of all that Members and officers had accomplished during the pandemic. He confirmed that lobbying central government for additional funding would continue. He also said that Kent County Council would continue to support schools and the efforts to overcome educational inequalities. He referred to the challenges in relation to recovery in areas such as children’s social work and acknowledged that pressures would continue to grow as the lockdown eased.
(25) Mr Gough emphasised the importance of careful preparation for autumn and winter, including a potential second wave of COVID-19, He added that conversations continued to take place between the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, the care sector and himself about the structural and strategic issues faced by the sector.
(26) Mr Gough reemphasised the importance of Member engagement in relation to the Council’s renewal phase.
(27) Mr Gough confirmed that Kent County Council had applied for funding from central government to address issues which related to the revival of public transport with a view to ensuring that Kent’s congestion and carbon reduction targets could be achieved and to encourage other forms of active transport.