Agenda item

Presentation by Davina Howes, Assistant Director (Families and Communities) and Lauren White-Miller (Families and Communities Team Leader).

The Committee received a presentation on West Suffolk Council’s community response role to Covid-19. 

The presentation provided information on West Suffolk Council’s community response role; an overview of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) Covid response; reflections from our communities and VCS; the impact on our VCS and funding allocated to VCS groups. 

The presentation also included recommendations/actions identified by officers as follows:

-      Our investment over many years in the Families and Communities approach meant there was a solid foundation on which to build and respond very quickly.  Continue to support and develop relationships with our communities through our Families and Communities Approach, working in partnership with the West Suffolk Alliance and Community Action Suffolk.

-      Co-produce the Volunteering Strategy with partners and volunteers to build on the volunteering we have seen throughout the pandemic, so to capture this new wave of socially minded good neighbours.  Out of this developing a Volunteer Passport/Pool scheme for West Suffolk.

-      Work with Parish and Town Councils, Emergency Planning groups and other interested volunteers/groups in the community to rework Community Emergency Plans in light of the recent pandemic.  This work to be led by the Emergency Planning team and supported by the Families and Communities team with local intelligence and connections.

-      If we ned to restart Home but Not Alone, we should facilitate “connecting group sessions” to support one another and to share ideas.  We could also look at how we bring some of the larger support functions across the area into the conversation at an earlier point, so there is more local ownership.

The Committee was asked to add their thoughts in addition to the above recommendations/actions.

The Chair opened the discussions by stating that the investment made in families and communities had really paid dividends during the lockdown period, and also applauded the excellent work carried out in our communities across West Suffolk.

[At 6.16pm the Chair of the meeting experienced technical issues.  It was therefore agreed by members of the Committee to adjourn the meeting at 6.18pm.

The meeting recommenced again at 6.19pm when the Chair re-joined the meeting].

In response to a question raised regarding social distancing not being observed and how could the council influence and educate children on the importance of wearing a mask so they could then tell their parents.  Officers explained the council was working with colleagues across Suffolk on the “Stick with it Suffolk” message but would raise this with the Communications Team to see what else could be done.

In response to a question raised regarding community emergency planning and reviving groups, officers confirmed this had been picked up as a particular learning point and would be progressed with colleagues in the Suffolk Emergency Planning Team.

In response to a question raised regarding continuing to support those vulnerable and how this would be funded, officers explained it was currently doing a piece of work on “newly vulnerable” groups of people who might be financially vulnerable for the first time due to the furlough scheme ending and unemployment etc.  The council was working with colleagues across the system to look at what support could be put in place for those people who might have particular financial worries or when the moratorium eviction ends.  Some of this work might be to sign post people to existing organisations, but the council would need to ensure those organisations were robust enough to help.  It is not going to be easy going forward, but the council still needs to continue to support the voluntary sector and how it can support those who might be able to volunteer for the first time.  There was also the Winter Planning in the health system and this year there was a section within the Plan which talked about the voluntary sector and some of the work that District Councils could do otherwise hospitals might find it difficult to cope.  With regards to funding the council was working on the basis of trying to use resources across our communities and across the public sector in the best way possible.

Discussions were also held on the Home but Not Alone Scheme and food parcels; accessing data and data sharing of vulnerable persons and digital isolation to which comprehensive responses were provided.

At the conclusion of the discussions, the Chair thanked officers for the report and presentation which was very comprehensive.  As a Council it was in a good position to respond to future emergencies.   

On behalf of the Committee, the Chair wished to record its thanks and appreciation to the Families and Communities team for its outstanding work.

The Committee noted the presentation and supported the four recommendations identified by officers as part of the reflection process, in particular to rework Community Emergency Plans in light of the recent pandemic.