Agenda item

Pat Jukes, Business Manager – Corporate Policy:

 

a)    presented Members with a review of 2019/20 including the City of Lincoln Councils COVID-19 response in the following areas:

 

b)    explained that in relation to COVID-19 Business Support, the government had made available a number of different grant funding options for businesses affected by COVID-19, so to ensure that Lincoln businesses benefit as much as possible, the Council’s Major Development Team set up a cross directorate working group of up to 20 people from ten services who used their skill sets to work together to maximise support for businesses.

 

c)    advised that regarding COVID-19 Community Support, members of staff across many departments of the council were working from home to deliver vital services to prevent additional hardship to some of the most vulnerable in Lincoln. This included working with partner organisations across the community to fill any gaps in service and finding new ways to make it easier for people to ask for and access help, as well as seeking out groups of people impacted by COVID-19 and putting measures in place to allow them to access support such as:

 

·         Befriending Service

·         Community Signposting Helpline

·         Online mapping of community groups

·         Pensioner voucher scheme

·         Free school meals

·         Lincoln Community Foundation Crisis Fund

 

d)    highlighted that in relation to helping the vulnerable, homeless and rough sleepers, the Homelessness Team were very busy dealing with historic and complex cases rather than seeing significant increases in homelessness. However, emergencies and helping people coming into the city needing accommodation and young and vulnerable people who had been asked to leave home or who were being exploited were dealt with by the team.

 

The Rough Sleeping Team had seen a definite increase in workload following the push to ensure all street sleepers were provided with safe internal accommodation. This included those who were in bed and breakfast and hotel accommodation which had closed as a result of COVID-19. Twenty-one people were offered accommodation as a result of this scheme.

 

Supported Housing – this service supported our most vulnerable tenants and as a result of the COVID-19 impact, had adapted its service to both protect and support tenants.

 

Lincare Home Support – Lincare had continued to operate its 24/7 telecare services for all its clients throughout the crisis. This was a critical service at the best of times, but even more so during the current COVID-19 crisis.

 

Customer Services – the number of calls consistent with what would be expected in a normal Q4 had been taken, at 29,739, which paid testament to the hard work that the team had put in. There had not been a day when the team were unable to offer a telephone response to the public.

 

Our Communications – this had been a year of change for the City Council’s Communication Team. Of the four people who began the year, only one remained. Luckily all three leavers had now been replaced and the team, since mid-March, was back operating at full capacity. This presented a wide range of challenges for the team. We knew that social media would be key.

 

Revenues and Benefits – quarter 4 was always the period which brought about the highest level of demands on our Revenues and Benefits Service, as the team sent out new Council Tax and Business Rates bills to every household and business in the city (plus to other partner local authorities who were part of the Revenues and Benefits shared service), as well as customers’ incomes receiving annual up-ratings, rent increases etc. Despite all of these demands, and the sudden impacts of COVID-19 on working and process arrangements, the team had continued to perform positively.

 

Bereavement Services – in the year up to March 31^st there were 1970 cremations and 314 burials in our cemeteries. As the effects of the pandemic rolled out through March, staff implemented a robust business continuity plan to ensure the council maintained services.

 

Community Services – the team had continued to work throughout, attending sites and dealing with complaints and enquiries from the outset to ensure that services to the public had not been impacted beyond government stipulated changes.

 

Emergency Housing Repairs – maintenance teams had to be re-focussed since the start of the lockdown, but that didn’t mean repairs were not being completed. 24-hour repairs were still being completed and 3-day urgent repairs, albeit with a reduced workforce.

 

Food Health & Safety and Enforcement – although the team were generally not visiting businesses to do inspections post lockdown, some were visited where persistent complaints were received. Investigations into complaints were still being carried out.

 

e)    invited members’ questions and comments.

 

Comment: The committee wanted to pass on their thanks to all the staff at the City of Lincoln Council and that they were very proud.

 

Question: The befriending service had been very successful and had a positive outcome for volunteers and residents of the City, would this continue?

 

Response: Officers that had been helping on the befriending service were starting to return to their job roles, so the service needed to come to a close. The residents who required the service had dropped by half and the residents that still required interaction would be offered 4 options which they could choose one if they wished. The befriending service was not just for the elderly but was for all ages and health issues.

 

Question: Members commented that the report was positive and gave special thanks to the IT Team. Was the amount of staff that had been moved over to Microsoft Teams being monitored?

 

Response: The amount of staff that had been moved over to Microsoft Teams was monitored. Officers agreed to forward this information to the committee.

 

Question: Members asked for an update position for Council Housing?

 

Response: There were approximately 30 voids.

 

Question: There were still parks that were closed in the city. Members asked what the position was with play areas?

 

Response: Destination play areas had been opened, which were ones with a lot of equipment in them. The Director of Communities and Environment agreed  to forward the list of play areas that had been opened to the committee.

 

Question: Members asked whether our website could still be used as a signposting service as it had worked well during the pandemic?

 

Response: Activities were posted already, and an interactive map was produced which was to be kept up to date by a charity sector. The Director of Communities and Environment  agreed to find out the position of this piece of work and  feed it back to the committee.

 

Question: The closure of the public toilets was a concern as well as anti-social behaviour. Members asked whether this needed to be reviewed as it was having a massive impact on the city centre?

 

Response: Anti-social behaviour was lower in the city, but this was due to less footfall. It was more visible due to there being less pedestrian traffic. Going forward there  would be a bigger presence to help tackle anti-social behaviour.

 

Question: Members were worried about the economy in the city centre due to the toilets being closed and residents not wanting to visit due to this.

 

Response: There was one toilet open in Castle Square and the toilet in the bus station was open. Toilets in Hartsholme park and the toilets in the café in Boultham Park were also open.

 

Question: Members asked what the cost would be for the re-opening of the remaining toilets within the city centre?

 

Response: The Director of Communities and Environment agreed to forward the figures to the committee.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

a)    the figures for staff that had been moved over to Microsoft Team be forwarded to the Committee

 

b)    the list of the play areas that had been opened be forwarded to the committee

 

c)    a position update on the interactive map for services within the city be forwarded to the committee

 

d)    the cost to re-open the remaining toilets be forwarded to the committee

 

e)    the contents of the report be noted and referred to Executive.