Minutes:
Under
the provisions set out in Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as
amended) the Chairman of the meeting was of the opinion that the following item
- COVID Update Post Prime Minister’s Announcement could be taken after Agenda
Item 8 as urgent business in view of the recent Government announcement and
developing national situation.’
Council received an update from
the Leader of the Council as follows:
“When I suggested this debate at
the end of last week, I thought we would be discussing the different Tier
levels in Oxfordshire. Obviously, that has changed following the announcement
of the National Lock down by the Government on Saturday.
However, what has not changed is
my thanks and support to Ansaf our Director of Public Health who has been
invaluable in his work over recent months. He has been ably assisted by his
deputy Val Messenger along with all the Public Health team. Also, I have to thank the amazing hard work
of our CEO Yvonne Rees who appears to be working 24 hours a day and making sure
I know that by phone calls/emails at all time of the day and night.
The residents of Oxfordshire owe Yvonne and Ansaf a huge
thank you for all their hard work and commitment. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank all our staff who have worked exceptionally hard over the recent months.
We were moving into the recovery
phase but that work now has to be changed as now staff will be focusing on
supporting our residents especially the vulnerable in Oxfordshire. I know staff
will rise to the occasion despite the fact that many are almost running on
empty due to their hard work over the recent months. There is a packed agenda
for business as usual. I cannot say how
proud I am to be Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with the dedication and
hard work of both staff and members.
The move to a national lockdown
has been triggered by following the scientific advice which is what we were
doing locally with our recommendation to move the whole of the county to Tier
2. It was about following the data trends as the virus was spreading across the
age groups in all districts across the county.
The virus does not respect
boundaries therefore we have to consider what is best for the majority of
Oxfordshire. The virus does not suddenly stop just past the Park & Ride on
the Botley Road Likewise on Old Road it does not simply disappear as you cross
the bridge into South Oxfordshire.
I realise that would impact on
some communities that have little or no connection with Oxford however it’s
important that we do our best to reduce the spread. I know there will be an economic and general
health impact but by following the scientific advice at an early stage could
have reduced the need for longer stricter messages.
This is as much about protecting
the economy as well as resident’s health as the 2 go hand in hand. I speak as
somebody who ran a couple of small businesses for 30 years and fully understand
the pressures that go with running small businesses which are the backbone of
the economy. However, I understand the need to protect the NHS and resident’s
health. The NHS were just starting to
reduce the back log of operations and that must continue to protect the health
of the nation.
It is important that Test, Track
and Trace is improved so that we have the tools to carry out the function.
Locally we deliver the system far better than at a national level however we
need the funding to deliver the service especially as it would mean ramping up
our local operations to deal with the sheer volume of data that comes in. at
which level that is done is always a challenge perhaps the Local Resilience
Forum level is the best for the volume with real time information passed down
to local Directors of Public Health.
Whilst I know that we in
Oxfordshire are prepared to take on Test, Track and Trace some areas might not
have the capacity and it’s important that Local Government work as 1 to deliver
the service.
When we come out of the National
Lockdown my current understanding is that we’ll return to the Tier system
again. I cannot prejudge what the data will say in December however I can
assure you that we as a council will follow the scientific advice from our
Director of Public Health when we come to make recommendations about which Tier
level should apply to Oxfordshire.
I will try to answer questions
but as all the regulations have not yet come out there will be some gaps
however the CEO and her team are making notes of the meeting so once answers
are known they will be provided. We can
all play our part by ensuring we follow the rules so that we save lives and
protect the NHS.
The Council thanked the Leader for his update and thanked staff across the board for their ongoing Commitment. During debate, wide support was given to the update from the Leader and it was widely acknowledged that a well-informed local response was more effective than a National response and that local test and trace would be better devolved to local systems, to enable swift action following scientific evidence.
The following point were also raised during discussion:
· Were Central Government going to recompense local government for their work during the crisis?
· Council thanked researchers from Oxford on their work into treatments and vaccines.
· Members wished to see Granular data on OCC Website.