Covid-19 Response Sub-Committee (7pm) - 5 October 2020

COVID-19 RESPONSE SUB-COMMITTEE

NOTICE AND AGENDA

For a virtual/remote meeting to be held on Monday 5 October 2020 at 7pm.

Members of the Covid-19 Response Sub-Committee:

Councillors:

Matthew Bedford (Chair)

Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Vice Chair)

Stephen Cox

Paula Hiscocks

Chris Lloyd

Sarah Nelmes

Andrew Scarth

Roger Seabourne

Alison Wall

Joanne Wagstaffe Chief Executive

25 September 2020

(The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 made under the Coronavirus Act 2020 enable Council/Committee meetings to be held in a virtual format and enables remote attendance.

The meeting starts at 7pm and will be virtual/remote meeting in that it will be conducted at no specific location and all participants are at various locations, communicating via audio and online.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public to its discussion on Part I agenda items at Committee meetings.  Contributions will be limited to one person speaking for and one against each item for not more than three minutes. Please note that in the event of registering your interest to speak on an agenda item but not taking up that right because the item is deferred, you will automatically be given the right to speak on that item at the next meeting of the Committee.  Details of the procedure are provided below:

Members of the public wishing to speak will be entitled to register and identify which Part I report they wish to speak on from the published agenda for the remote meeting.  Those who wish to register to speak must do so by notifying the Committee Team by e-mail 48 hours before the meeting. The first 2 people to register (1 for and 1 against) will be sent a link so that they can join the meeting to exercise that right.  This will also allow the Committee Team to prepare the speaker sheet in advance of the remote meeting to forward to the Chair of the meeting.

In accordance with The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 any matters considered under Part 1 business only of the meeting may be filmed, recorded, photographed, broadcast or reported via social media by any person.

Recording and reporting the Council's meetings is subject to the law and it is the responsibility of those doing the recording and reporting to ensure compliance.  This will include the Human Rights Act, the Data Protection Act and the laws of libel and defamation.

Please note that the meeting is being held virtually. The Part I business of the meeting will be live streamed at (Link archived)

The virtual meeting protocol for Committee meetings is provided below:

1.   APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2.   MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Covid-19 Response sub-committee meeting held on 3 September 2020.

3.   NOTICE OF OTHER BUSINESS

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 30 to be announced, together with the special circumstances that justify their consideration as a matter of urgency. The Chairman to rule on the admission of such items.

4.   DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

To receive any declarations of interest.

5.   SERVICE RESTORATION PRIORITIY RATINGS 4 AND 5

This report will act as an introduction to the accompanying Service Restoration Priority Ratings 4 and 5 document (see Appendix 1).

At its meeting on the 21 July 2020 the Covid-19 Response sub-committee agreed the priorities 1, 2 & 3 as those to take forward for service restoration (Minute CRSC07/20 refers).

At the meeting on the 3 September 2020 the Covid-19 Response sub-committee agreed and recommended the report and appendix 1 Service Restoration Priorities to Policy and Resources Committee for adoption (minute CRSC13/20 refers).

At the same meeting it agreed and recommended the report and appendix 1 Service Restoration - Resources and Target Date to be Fully Restored Document to Policy and Resources Committee for adoption (Minute CRSC14/20 refers)

6.   SERVICE RESTORATION – FACE TO FACE PUBLIC INTERACTIONS

Prior to Covid-19, TRDC along with many local authorities, had a requirement for site visits and home visits by staff as part of their day to day duties. However, with Covid-19 and the Government guidelines surrounding social distancing and home working, this had an impact on operational requirements, specifically home/site visits, which were cancelled and no new visits permitted.

TRDC are planning to restore some external face to face meetings, site visits and appointments at Three Rivers House. It is important to have an agreed corporate stance and policy on site visits, and especially the provision of PPE where necessary and requirements at Three Rivers House to enable appointments and face to face meetings with the public.

This report covers what was proposed before recent Government announcements on working from home following a rise in national coronavirus cases, seeks approval for external face to face meetings and limited CAB meetings with clients only at this time but also approval for both external visits which require home entry and internal to TR House when that becomes possible. It is envisaged we will review this at the end of October.

7.   OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under item 3 above.

8.   EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

If the Sub-Committee wishes to consider the remaining item in private, it will be appropriate for a resolution to be passed in the following terms:-

“that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public

be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under paragraphs 1-7 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act. It has been decided by the Council that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

1.     OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under item 3 above.

For any information on the sub-committee meeting please contact the Committee Team by email at Committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk