Council and Democracy

Agenda item

Chesterfield Borough Covid19 Strategic and Community Recovery Approach

Decision:

*RESOLVED –

1.   That the following four targeted recovery priorities to support the overall COVID-19 recovery process across the borough be approved;

 

·        Partnership and collaboration; having a relentless focus on developing and delivering services and activities with our partners to deliver better outcomes for communities across Chesterfield;

 

·        Social Connectedness; supporting and promoting activity that tackles loneliness and social isolation, including tackling digital exclusion;

 

·        Young people; prioritising young people in everything we do, seeking out opportunities to support our young people to be the best that they can be;
 

·        Carbon reduction; taking positive steps to deliver a green recovery.

 

2.   That the Council actively promotes these targeted recovery priorities with partners, as well as adopting and embedding them across the organisation as part of the delivery of Council services. 

 

3.   That the ‘Chesterfield community recovery approach – Supporting and promoting community wellbeing’; as set out in Appendix A of the officer’s report, including support for a direct focus on key impact areas and the cross-cutting commitments and enablers set out in paragraphs 4.14 and 4.15 of the officer’s report, be endorsed.

 

4.   That it be noted that, as work is progressed with partners in developing activities and work programmes to deliver against the targeted recovery priorities and the community recovery approach, it is anticipated that further resources will be required and, if so, further reports will be presented to Cabinet for consideration and approval. 

 

5.   That the allocation of £30,000 to create an emergency community wellbeing fund that can be targeted at supporting communities, either directly by the council or through partner agencies, including the voluntary and community sector, to assist in managing the ongoing response and recovery associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, be approved.

 

6.   That use of the Council’s budget risk reserve to fund the £30,000 emergency fund be approved.

 

REASON FOR DECISIONS

The unprecedent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the borough has led to the Council putting in place response and recovery activities to support its residents, business and communities. This report seeks to set out both a strategic and a community recovery approach to support this critical work going forward.

Minutes:

The Executive Director and Assistant Director - Health and Wellbeing submitted a report setting out a proposed strategic approach to support the borough in recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The approach included three key elements; one of these, the economic recovery plan, had been approved by the Joint Cabinet and Employment and General Committee on 14 July, 2020. The remaining two elements outlined in the report were:

 

·      a proposal to adopt four targeted recovery priorities to support the overall recovery; and

·      a proposal to endorse a community recovery approach, focussed on working with partners across the borough in supporting and promoting community wellbeing.

 

The four targeted recovery priorities, detailed in paragraph 4.8 of the officer’s report, would provide key focus for the council’s activities and help to address the widening inequalities in society. The priorities would be adopted and embedded across the organisation as part of the delivery of council services.

 

The ‘Chesterfield community recovery approach – supporting and promoting community wellbeing’, attached at Appendix A of the officer’s report, provided information on the significant partnership work that was carried out during the initial response stages of the pandemic, and set out the longer term impact areas for the recovery work to directly focus on.

 

The Council would work in partnership with the Chesterfield Strategic Community Wellbeing Coordination Group to develop more detailed work programmes, considering the delivery mechanisms and future resource requirements.

 

The report sought approval for an allocation of £30k from the council’s budget risk reserve to create an emergency community wellbeing fund that could be targeted at supporting communities, either directly by the council or through partner agencies.

 

*RESOLVED –

 

1.    That the following four targeted recovery priorities to support the overall COVID-19 recovery process across the borough be approved;

 

·      Partnership and collaboration; having a relentless focus on developing and delivering services and activities with our partners to deliver better outcomes for communities across Chesterfield;

·      Social Connectedness; supporting and promoting activity that tackles loneliness and social isolation, including tackling digital exclusion;

·      Young people; prioritising young people in everything we do, seeking out opportunities to support our young people to be the best that they can be;

·      Carbon reduction; taking positive steps to deliver a green recovery.

 

2.    That the Council actively promotes these targeted recovery priorities with partners, as well as adopting and embedding them across the organisation as part of the delivery of Council services.

 

3.    That the ‘Chesterfield community recovery approach – Supporting and promoting community wellbeing’; as set out in Appendix A of the officer’s report, including support for a direct focus on key impact areas and the cross-cutting commitments and enablers set out in paragraphs 4.14 and 4.15 of the officer’s report, be endorsed.

 

4.    That it be noted that, as work is progressed with partners in developing activities and work programmes to deliver against the targeted recovery priorities and the community recovery approach, it is anticipated that further resources will be required and, if so, 3 further reports will be presented to Cabinet for consideration and approval.

 

5.    That the allocation of £30,000 to create an emergency community wellbeing fund that can be targeted at supporting communities, either directly by the council or through partner agencies, including the voluntary and community sector, to assist in managing the ongoing response and recovery associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, be approved.

 

6.    That use of the Council’s budget risk reserve to fund the £30,000 emergency fund be approved.

 

REASON FOR DECISIONS

 

The unprecedent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the borough has led to the Council putting in place response and recovery activities to support its residents, business and communities. This report seeks to set out both a strategic and a community recovery approach to support this critical work going forward.

Supporting documents: