The Committee received a report that focused on Overview and Scrutiny’s Review of the Council’s Response to COVID-19 which was a culmination of the Committee’s work over the last 6 months in relation to the response to the pandemic in LBTH and to reflect local feedback on the plans in place to support residents.  The Chair thanked Committee Members for their contributions; the officers for all their hard work; and all of those who had participated. The main points on the discussion maybe summarised as follows:

The Committee:

• Agreed that the report provides a particularly good summary of the work undertaken in providing an overview and scrutiny of the Council’s COVID response.
• Recognised as with any unprecedented event, we can learn from it, and hopefully the report can add to that learning.
• Noted that the recommendations are intended to build on the Council’s pandemic response, review issues revealed and improve outcomes for residents and stakeholders in the borough’s ongoing recovery.
• Noted that with regard to Recommendation 7 of the report concerning  support for market traders to ensure (i) that they are provided with business development support to increase their resilience; and if future grants become available better support market traders to ensure their COVID-19 costs are covered in the same way as was offered to other businesses.  The view was expressed that compared to some other London Boroughs Tower Hamlets needed to be brought more into line with what other councils offer. However, the Committee was pleased to note that this has now been addressed.
• Noted that there had been an underspend of £1.5m sum on the original £3.7m but this underspend has now been allocated and it shows the value of the Committee asking questions about it over the course of the past three to four months.
• Noted that several queries had been received from businesses that are currently not paying rates about the process for review or appeal and that they would some clarity around this.
• Noted that the £1.5m that was underspent has now been allocated and that includes another payment to market traders so in the first round of the grant market traders those that were full time were paid £720.00  and those that were part time were paid £300.60 and those eligible market-rate from the second round were paid another Same amount again. Therefore, in total full-time market traders were paid £1,480.00 and those that part-time in total were paid £612.00. Accordingly, it was agreed that the report needs to be amended to present the most up to date position.
• Agreed that this recommendation should stand to ensure that market traders to get fair; equitable and reasonable support at the time that it is available. Also, the Committee wanted clarity from the Council as to why it had not been set at the higher rate. As this meant that market traders had been expected to live on £720.00 over a six-month period and that clearly was not sustainable.
• Agreed that there was also an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7

The Chair invited the Committee comments on the Committee’s draft report on the above following their review. He invited the Chairs of the Scrutiny Sub – Committees to report back on the findings of their recent meetings regarding the impact on COVID-19 and also the Scrutiny Leads to report.

In response the following issues were noted:

Councillor Kahar Chowdhury (Chair of the Health & Adults Scrutiny Sub Committee)  made suggestions in respect of the following areas/recommendations in the draft report:

• Communication with the community – particularly the need to reach out to hard to reach groups and the need to carry out outreach work.
• Uptake of testing – the need to target at risk groups, working with relevant groups, and to gain a better understanding of their circumstances, and to monitor testing.

• Shielding – provision of help and support to those who needed to shield including pathways. In relation to this point it was noted that the Government’s shielding programme had come to an end this week. The Council had agreed a follow up programme with Primary Care and was considering how we take this forward

Comments were also made regarding:

• Care homes and the need to put in place recommendations to improve the situation in such settings. In response, the Corporate Director drew attention to the  Care Homes Support Plan.This report sets out a summary of work the council has undertaken with partners (through the Integrated Care Partnership Tower Hamlets) to support local care homes during the coronavirus pandemic. This is available on Council’s website. The Corporate Director had also prepared alearning review of the impact. This should be ready soon and she was happy to circulate this to the Committee.

• The need to support test and contract trace. The report should look at how this can be supported.
• The need to look at the suitability of homeliness and housing placements in a pandemic. The Council should apply for additional funding from the everyone is in funding.

Councillor Gabriela Salva Macallan (Chair of the Children and Education Scrutiny Sub Committee)  reported that whilst her Sub – Committee had yet to meet, she considered it important to support schools and young people in respect of the following areas:

• Responding to the budget contains.
• The delivery of the recovery programme
• Access to education and the re - opening up of schools.
• Provision of free school meals and reviewing impacts of the changes on this.

Councillor Tarik Khan (Scrutiny Lead for Resources & Finance)  also commented on the report. He stressed the need to:

• make savings by looking at selling assets to ease the burden
• to support local economy and use of local providers.

Councillor Bex White (Scrutiny Lead for Community Safety & Environment)  addressed the Committee. She spoke about the quickness of the Council’s response to providing social distancing measures in comparisons to other Council’s and the need for this to be reviewed in case there is a second wave.

The Committee also discussed a proposal to increase the grant support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8