Agenda item

The Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles drew members’ attention to the briefing note ‘Food Distribution & Community Resilience Report’, which illustrated how the town had come together during this crisis. She acknowledged that there are gaps in terms of what could be provided, but stressed that the council would continue to build and reinforce a mutually supportive network to fill these. She expressed her gratitude to all those who have given their time and energy to support others during this pandemic. The council continued to work closely with its partners.

She added that although the council was unable to carry out its full planned VE day celebration, it worked with primary schools to encourage primary school children to speak to their grandparents about their experiences, which would be gathered and displayed online in the near future. She suggested that this kind of innovative thinking formed part of how the council could ensure a cultural renaissance in the town when things eventually returned to normal.

The Cabinet Member Clean and Green Environment sought to explain the current situation with waste and recycling in particular. The council had worked closely with Ubico to ensure personal safety for workers, and had managed to maintain kerbside service almost entirely, thanks to strong decision-making by CBC officers, Ubico, and the hard work of crews themselves. The public had been very understanding about the need to keep workers safe while also keeping essential services resilient. In terms of parks and gardens, the relevant teams have worked hard to ensure that all parks were still open and well-maintained even in this crisis. The continuing maintenance of Cheltenham’s parks was a deliberate strategy, seeking to support people doing their essential exercise.

He added that perhaps the most important part of his portfolio was the cemetery and crematorium, and it was vital that people were able to visit memorials and gravesides during this extremely difficult time. He acknowledged that difficult decisions had to be made regarding the size of gatherings allowed, and stressed that although he regretted how many friends and family members have been unable to attend funerals and memorial services, this decision was made with public safety and service resilience in mind.

The Cabinet Member Finance thanked staff members for their hard work, specifically citing the efforts of the revenues & benefits team. Cheltenham was the first town in the county, and one of the first in the country, to distribute funding for business grants. 230 businesses were supported at a cost of £3.9m before the government funding was even received. As of 13^th May, of the £24m that the council has received, £20.2m has been paid out to some 1,615 qualifying businesses. This equated to 91% of the businesses initially identified as vulnerable. CBC acted proactively and was now leading the next phase of the discretionary grants scheme.

She praised the council’s commercial strategy, with its diversity of investments paying off in a time of uncertainty and instability. CBC was also the first council to make a submission to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding the real financial impact of this crisis. She clarified that this submission was not a plea for a bailout, but rather a clear message about the council’s ambitions, and a way to work together with central government to support local solutions. She added that despite the Covid-19 crisis, life goes on, and so does the work of the council. For example, the new industrial units at Enterprise Way are nearly ready, as are the refurbishment works at the Municipal Offices. She also reported that the council continued to remain in touch with its commercial and cultural partners, with more to come in the coming weeks.

The Cabinet Member Corporate Services echoed the praise for council staff for their willingness to adapt to unusual circumstances. He particularly praised the redeployment of many staff members to the Gloucestershire Community Help Hub, which had reached out to around 900 residents and delivered over 700 food parcels to date.

The Cabinet Member Housing noted that the measure of a society was how it treats its poorest members, and expressed his pride at how officers had helped to protect and house homeless people in the town, putting themselves at risk to aid those more vulnerable. He thanked Cheltenham Borough Homes for their willingness to go virtual in order to maintain their supporting role.

The Cabinet Member Development and Safety outlined some of the ways in which the council had responded to Covid-19 under his portfolio, such as making car parks safe for key workers, and the way that the Planning and Licensing departments have worked to maintain a high level of service. The situation regarding Cyber Central and Golden Valley continued to develop, and remained of considerable importance. He emphasised that Cheltenham has not been paralysed, and work continued in order to deliver for residents.

The Leader of the Council added his praise for the programs supporting vulnerable local people, which included the resilience fund allocation of £100,000, which was shared equally between the borough council and county council. He emphasised the importance of regular county-wide briefings and work between councils, and reiterated the need to ‘capture’ and maintain the positive consequences of the crisis, as well as the lessons that can be taken forward. He also stressed that much of the council’s role had been to interpret what the government was saying, and how best to apply that locally.

He noted that the Local Plan and the West Cheltenham Supplementary Planning Document were due to be considered at an Extraordinary Council meeting on the 22^nd April. These items remained of significant importance, and were now scheduled to be discussed by Council in June instead.