DECISION

1.     To reconfirm that tackling loneliness and isolation is a strategic issue that the Council as a whole must address involving all service areas and resources.

2.     To support the continued building of an alliance to tackle loneliness including our partners in Tower Hamlets Together, faith groups, the voluntary and community sector and the wider community.

3.      To endorse the importance of highlighting the impact of loneliness and the inspiring response of our local communities in the Council`s post Covid-19 communications planning.

4.     To mandate that tackling loneliness continues to be a key thread in the council`s community engagement strategy building on the community mobilisation that has been generated through the Covid-19 emergency.

5.     To support the urgent consideration of how the digital exclusion and digital poverty of people in our community can be systematically addressed to ensure that everyone has access to digital tools to access the services they need as well as to keep in touch with friends and family.  

6.     To note the specific equalities considerations as set out in the report.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, HEALTH, ADULTS AND COMMUNITY (D. RADLEY)

(Director of Public Health (S. Banerjee)

(Programme Lead – Commissioning (K. Williams)

Councillor Denise Jones, the Mayor’s Older People’s Champion introduced the report on the work of the Loneliness Taskforce. She highlighted that this was an issue that needed tackling through services across the Council. The taskforce highlighted a number of issues that needed tackling such as on digital exclusion and reaching all local cultural groups. She welcomed the increase in volunteering seen during the current pandemic and highlighted the importance of trying to maintain that activity afterwards.

The Mayor welcomed the report and agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.     To reconfirm that tackling loneliness and isolation is a strategic issue that the Council as a whole must address involving all service areas and resources.

2.     To support the continued building of an alliance to tackle loneliness including our partners in Tower Hamlets Together, faith groups, the voluntary and community sector and the wider community.

3.      To endorse the importance of highlighting the impact of loneliness and the inspiring response of our local communities in the Council`s post Covid-19 communications planning.

4.     To mandate that tackling loneliness continues to be a key thread in the council`s community engagement strategy building on the community mobilisation that has been generated through the Covid-19 emergency.

5.     To support the urgent consideration of how the digital exclusion and digital poverty of people in our community can be systematically addressed to ensure that everyone has access to digital tools to access the services they need as well as to keep in touch with friends and family.  

6.     To note the specific equalities considerations as set out in the report.