RESOLVED: That Cabinet noted the steps taken by the Council in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report which set out the Council’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, thanking the Cabinet Members for their input into the response.  He highlighted the mobilisation of staff to the frontline to support those residents vulnerable to the virus; the speedy allocation of financial support to local businesses and the creation of a volunteer hub to help out those most in need.  The Council had also joined a pan-London procurement exercise with London Councils for the purchase of additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  Council officers have worked closely with schools to ensure the safeguarding of vulnerable children and provided accommodation to rough sleepers in the borough.  Trading Standards officers had been working with businesses in the borough to assist them with plans to safely reopen and transport plans had been put in place to assist with social distancing.  He paid tribute to a number of local community organisations, including the Food Bank operation at the New Horizon Centre in Pollards Hill; Merton Mutual Aid Group in Wimbledon; the Dons Local Action Group, Old Wimbledonians; and Mitcham and Tooting FC.  He also thanked the Members of Parliament, London Mayor and London Assembly Member.

At the invitation of the Chair, the Chief Executive joined the Chair in thanking all those residents, staff and voluntary sector and community groups for their efforts in tackling the pandemic. 

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health and the Environment expanded on the points made regarding shielding vulnerable residents and the procurement of PPE.  He added his thanks to officers in public health and social care and welcomed the collaborative working relationship with partners in the health sector.  He noted the Council’s focus on its care providers since the outbreak of the pandemic, which would continue to be supported, and the Council’s response to the Government’s request to set out its plan was appended to the Cabinet report.  The Council was in the process of distributing the additional Government funding to care homes to assist with infection control.  He addressed the request of the Government for Local Authorities to set out Local Outbreak Control Plans, and the details of which were set out in the report and would be discussed at the Health and Wellbeing Board, with a further update to Cabinet in due course.  Finally he advised that the NHS would be rolling out a campaign, supported by the Council and the CCG, to inform residents that the NHS is still open to them, in response to concerns that there had been a rise in fatalities due to people not presenting early enough.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance thanked the officers involved in providing financial support to residents in need and to local businesses.  It was noted that the Council was in the top three boroughs in London for distributing financial support to businesses.  He expressed disappointment in the Government’s discretionary support scheme for local businesses which was too small and therefore the Council was only able to help 1-200 businesses or charities out of the thousands in the borough.  In addition to this, the Council’s discretion was limited by the Government’s criteria around which businesses could receive the funding.  He implored the Government to expand the scheme to include other organisations impacted by the pandemic.  The Deputy Leader highlighted the financial impact of the pandemic on the Council’s finances and the financial assistance provided by the Government which only covered a quarter of the Council’s costs to date.  He also took the opportunity to thank all those working in the voluntary sector for their efforts during the pandemic.

The Chair echoed the comments made on behalf of the Council and all local authorities and advised that the Local Government Association  would continue to lobby the Government to properly fund the pandemic response and recovery.

The Cabinet Member for Voluntary Sector, Partnerships and Community Safety welcomed the support of the Merton Voluntary Service Council and other voluntary sector organisations and expressed her thanks for their efforts.  She paid tribute to the Police in their engagement with the community and the consequent good levels of compliance with Covid conditions and low numbers of fines issued.

The Chair echoed the comments and expressed his thanks to the Borough Commander and the BCU.

The Cabinet Member for Commerce, Leisure and Culture advised the Cabinet that the borough’s parks continued to be popular during lockdown and the Council would be working with the Police to ensure social distancing measures were adhered to; and a temporary ban on barbeques in parks was in place.  Plans had been developed to reopen libraries in July, whilst maintaining the safety of staff and users.  Officers were working closely with the leisure provider, GLL, on their recovery plan towards reopening in July.

The Cabinet Member for Women and Equalities thanked the Director of Children, Schools and Families for her work on assessing the impact of Covid on BAME communities.

The Chair thanked all for their contributions.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet noted the steps taken by the Council in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.