Covid-19 | New restrictions, remote meetings and working from home

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Are you ready for winter?

Get ready for winter by thinking about how you could help your community in the event of a local emergency, including Covid-19.

With winter looming, parish and town councils may be thinking about their readiness to help their communities in the event of local emergencies, including their resilience to withstand any local surge of COVID-19 cases and to be ready to give support to people who may be self-isolating.

Devon County Council is offering funding (from the Government’s COVID-19 Outbreak Self-Isolation Management Grant Fund) to parish and town councils, voluntary organisations, community groups and social enterprises, to once again offer practical help such as shopping, cooking and delivering free meals, collecting prescriptions and other items, dog walking etc. All the things local communities did so well during previous lockdowns!

Although your local mutual aid group may be dormant or even disbanded at the moment, it would be wise to have the contingencies in place to be active again should a local surge of COVID-19 cases happen and you can apply for funding now!  Here are just a few examples of how you could use the fund to prepare now:

  • Extra hours for your clerk or admin assistant, specifically to co-ordinate COVID-19 information on local sources of help, send out monthly newsletters through the winter (to end March 2022),  or post information on social media,
  • Design and delivery costs for an ‘Are you ready for winter?’ newsletter; make it something eye-catching that people will really want to read and keep for information on local sources of practical help should they need them, benefits information, information on keeping warm if you have to self-isolate, Test and Trace and how to get a COVID-19 test, vaccination locations etc.
  • Volunteer expenses; for fuel costs for delivering to people who are self-isolating, or for someone to update the parish/town website on a monthly basis re ‘Are you ready for winter?’
  • Maintain a rota of names of emergency volunteers who can be called upon out of hours or at weekends to signpost someone to immediate help due to COVID-19 self isolation.

The fund is available for projects running to end March 2022. Some councils around the county have already received their grants. You can find more information here or contact Hannah Reynolds at Devon Communities Together on info@devoncommunities.org,uk or  01392 248919

Help Devon County Council to target Covid-19 support to those communities that need it most. Please respond to this mini survey to help us understand where Covid-19 support is currently available.

Opening up facilities as restrictions ease

Advice on opening up facilities as restrictions ease from Came & Company Local Council Insurance and the Risk Management Team at Arthur J Gallagher & Co.

Introduction and background

Came & Company Local Council Insurance have received a number of queries from town and parish councils with respect to opening up facilities as restrictions ease.

Insurers are experiencing an increase of claims being brought, in respect of COVID-19 infections, where the claimant is alleging that someone else has been negligent in some way and that resulted in them, the claimant, contracting the virus.

Whilst it is not possible to prevent a claim being brought in the first instance, as this the individual claimant’s right/prerogative, having a robust risk management approach that can be evidenced through your risk assessments and safe operating protocols will increase the likelihood that the claim can be defended.

This short briefing note provides some guidance as to the risk factors and mitigation that you will need to give consideration to in that risk assessment process, as you start to reopen facilities and move towards a more ‘business as usual’ outlook going forward.

Eased restrictions/rules

Whilst there may be what appear to be hard deadlines for the removal of ‘law based’ restrictions and rules, the Government has made it clear that best practice guidance designed to reduce the potential transmission of the COVID-19 virus will remain and, wherever practical, organisations and businesses should still factor these arrangements and mitigations into their risk assessments.

The need to consider the hazards associated with the COVID-19 virus, as part of your general risk assessment, is not waived immediately restrictions are lifted in the wider daily life context and, in fact, is likely to remain for the short to medium term future.

Council Meetings

One of the first matters you are likely to be considering, if not done already, is how to recommence ‘in person’ council meetings.

This should be considered using your COVID-19 risk assessment and we would strongly recommend maintaining:

  • Minimal direct personal contact and a degree of social distancing, i.e. no handshaking or other physical greeting, 1m minimum social distancing where practical, including seating arrangements
  • Wearing of facemasks/coverings when entering and leaving the room
  • Provision of hand sanitising facilities at entrances and exits
  • Cleaning materials available to wipe down surfaces before and after meetings
  • Adequate ventilation through the room during the meeting

Hiring out of facilities

When hiring out your own facilities to third parties for events such as birthday parties, other organisation meetings, etc., you will need to review your hire agreements to reflect the roles and responsibilities of each party to the contract in light of the best practice guidance.

If you are the premises provider, owner or landlord;

  • In discharging your duties under the Occupiers Liability Act(s) you will be expected to ensure the premises are fit for purpose/use before each hire, including making arrangements to present/hand them over to the individual or organisation hiring in a clean and hazard free condition.
  • It would be prudent to provide basic cleaning equipment at the premises, e.g. wipes, disinfectant sprays and paper towels, together with instructions as to the expectations of the hirer in leaving the room(s)/facility in a clean and safe condition after use.
  • Establish post hire checks, together with additional cleaning if required, before the next hire of the room(s)/facility.

If your organisation is hiring facilities from another, for the purpose of holding meetings etc., then the suggested mitigations outlined above work, in effect, in reverse. Engage with your landlord/hirer to agree each other’s roles and responsibilities in advance and ensure that you follow and implement the controls agreed.

This is just one guide available for free in the Resource Centre of Came & Company’s web site.

DALC’s Covid-19 advice can be found here and NALC’s Covid-19 advice is available here.

Kevin Millard – Regional Representative for Devon

Kevin.millard@cameandcompany.co.uk

Direct Tel. 01483 462 897

The opinions and views expressed in the above articles are those of the author only and are for guidance purposes only. The authors disclaim any liability for reliance upon those opinions and would encourage readers to rely upon more than one source before making a decision based on the information.

Go for the Flow twice weekly testing routine

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Remembrance Sunday services and coronavirus

Poppy flowers

The Government has now published guidance on Remembrance Sunday. It states that the COVID Alert Levels, across all tiers, provide for a specific exception for Remembrance Sunday events for participants and spectators, provided appropriate precautions are undertaken by the event organiser. So local authorities in England can organise outdoor Remembrance Sunday events at a public war memorial or cenotaph, if they complete a COVID-19 risk assessment and take all reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission of the virus. They must also take into account the national guidance on outdoor events, including all cleaning and hygiene precautions. It also provides information on what activities can be involved, who can attend, test and trace requirements and communal worship

The Local Government Association has also helpfully collated a range of resources, including government guidance, which are relevant for planning your events this year.

How have you adapted your Remembrance Services this year?

We love hearing our member stories and would be interested to hear the creative ways you enabled your services to take place.  Please send your pictures and stories to enquiries@devonalc.org.uk.

Further information

Coronavirus Local Outbreak Management Plan

Coronavirus cases are rising in the County.  Town and Parish Councils are well placed to provide local leadership in their communities.  Cara Stobart, County Officer, highlights new briefings now available.

Cara Stobart, County Officer

Working with Towns & Parishes

I am sure many of you are aware of the increasing number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus in  Devon.  We are fortunate that the numbers in Devon continue to be much lower than elsewhere in the country but we must not become complacent. Parish and Town Councils are well placed in their communities to provide local leadership and communicate key public health messages such as HAND – FACE – SPACE, to assist in keeping numbers low.

Working with our colleagues in Devon County Council and Devon Communities Together, we have developed briefing papers to support you over the coming months.  It contains links to key documents such as the Local Outbreak Management Plan, sources of advice and information, explains the role of the District Council and ideas on how you can prepare and assist your community in the event of further outbreaks in your locality.

We hope you find this document useful, please do sign up for the updates and keep watching the dashboard for real time information on the number of cases in your area.

Download your Coronavirus Local Outbreak Management Plan briefing

Download the briefing for East Devon parishes Download the briefing for Mid Devon parishes Download the briefing for North Devon parishes Download the briefing for South Hams parishes Download the briefing for Teignbridge parishes Download the briefing for Torridge parishes Download the briefing for West Devon parishes

Further information

NALC Chairman’s Open Letter to All Councillors

Cllr Sue Baxter, NALC Chairman

NALC’s Chairman Sue Baxter has written an open letter to all councillors expressing her thanks for all your hard work and dedication over the last few challenging months.

Our sector stepped up and acted swiftly to support residents and the most vulnerable in our communities by setting up volunteer networks, establishing emergency response groups, opening food banks or offering funding to local bodies. You can read more about your incredible work in our Coronavirus case studies publication, which has been shared widely with the government and stakeholders.

Just as impressive has been the alacrity with which many local (parish and town) councils have embraced remote working and online meetings to uphold democracy and continue vital work.

This crisis has demonstrated how important our sector is in building stronger communities, and we will continue to make the case to the government and others that we should be at the heart of building back communities as we move into the recovery phase.

If there are any positives to come from this, it is the greater sense of community spirit and civic action. Our task now is to harness this to support the work of our councils and encourage more people to stand at future elections.

I want to pay particular tribute to clerks and council staff, who have diligently kept the show on the road. They are working under immense pressure — having to not only cope with the anxieties we all share but additionally the difficult task of balancing home working with other responsibilities. It is crucial as councillors and local leaders that we recognise their challenge and support their efforts.

As the country moves forward, it is imperative as councillors we work closely with clerks and council staff. Maintaining our collective focus to ensure our local councils are well run and safe and that we continue to support our communities and play a pivotal role in leading our places and making the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) will continue to keep you updated through the pandemic with our dedicated coronavirus webpage. The page has over 100,000 hits, and I’m delighted our resources have been so useful. We are pleased to make the latest edition of LCR magazine free online — it features a range of topical information to help you.

NALC and county associations are working on your behalf to ensure the government is aware of the financial constraints we face and their consequences. We are pressing them for a dedicated package of support, which includes funding. I would ask all councils and councillors to contact their MPs to seek their backing and ask them to lobby the government.

Thank you for everything you are doing to support your communities.

Cllr Sue Baxter, NALC Chairman

Links

Find out more about the work of the National Association of Local Councils

Warning over coronavirus test and trace Scams

Coronavirus Image

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the risk of ‘test and trace’ scams as members of the public might start receiving phone calls from the NHS Test and Trace Service.

Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards Service have issued a warning along with some guidance regarding the NHS coronavirus ‘Test and Trace’ service and on how to identify scams. For example, contact tracers will:

Contact tracers will never:

Related links

You can find more guidance and information about Coronavirus in our Knowledge Bank.

New coronavirus risk assessment guidance released

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New survey on the financial impact of Coronavirus

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The financial impact of coronavirus is effecting parish and town councils across the Country.  NALC is surveying councils to better understand the impact.

NALC are keen to understand the financial impact of coronavirus on local councils so they can gather evidence to present to the government. This will help support their calls for financial assistance to the sector. They have issued a survey, and we would really like to see as many councils as possible completing it. Please fill it in as soon as you can, the deadline is the 24th April.

The survey includes questions on precept, staffing and income so you may want to have that data to hand. It’s vital that NALC has this information, particularly from councils who are struggling with financial difficulties.

Links

Find out more about the work of the National Association of Local Councils

Keep up-to-date with the latest guidance on Coronavirus, including financial support for communities, in our Knowledge Bank.