Agenda item

Report by Chief Executive Officers – Alistair Cunningham and Terence Herbert.

The Chairman advised that questions had been received and that responses had been published in the supplementary agenda 1.

If anyone had a supplementary question then these questions would be responded to in writing after the meeting.

Questions had been received from the following for this item:

•                Chris Caswill – Schools Re-opening – Statement and 3 questions

•                Chris Caswill – Public Health – 5 Questions

•                Chris Lange – Covid 19 Recovery Plan and Climate Change Issues - Statement and 1 question

•                Ian James (Bremhill Parish Council) – Social Care – 6 questions

•                Jessica Thimbleby – Covid 19 and Climate Change – statement and 2 questions

•                Mike d’Apice – Covid 19 and Climate Change – statement and questions

•                Cllr Murry – Covid 19 and Proposed recovery plan

The Chairman introduced the report.

Cllr Simon Jacobs – Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement then outlined the report along with Chief Executive Officers Alistair Cunningham and Terence Herbert.

Points made included:   

•                That Wiltshire Council continued its work with partners to ensure the most vulnerable in the community were supported, local businesses received support and funding allocated to the county and critical council services could continue to deliver essential services during what was an unprecedented and rapidly changing incident.

•                Following the report provided to cabinet in May, the paper included the latest public health data and further information on the Council’s response as at the end of May. Alongside this, emerging plans for the recovery were provided with further detail on the Council’s financial position for the year ahead and the provisional capital and revenue outturn.

•                The report provided full details on the modelling, assumptions and current estimated financial impact to the Council of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the anticipated impact for the remainder of the 2020/21 financial year.  It gave detail on the Councils submission to the Government in May that set out the forecast impact on the Councils finances and sets out the conditions and timing for the necessary action to be taken to mitigate against the current forecast financial position.

•                That excellent work continued to be carried out by the senior finance team on the issues raised over the last few months.

•                That staff efforts during this period has been extemporary, a whole organisational response, with 24/7 working.

•                The continued support of Wiltshire’s Care homes during this difficult time

•                That a Local Outbreak management Plan was being drafted, a significant piece of work.

•                The Ongoing support of Wiltshire schools.

•                Safer public spaces – supporting the reopening of our high streets, working with Wiltshire’s town councils.

•                Working with small businesses, administering the 5m small businesses fund.

•                That the Wellbeing Hub continued to support our vulnerable residents whilst returning back to the new normal.

•                The setting up of a Shadow Recovery Group, a Wiltshire Council director led group to set up for the recovery process.

•                That Wiltshire Council continued to work with both Central Government and local groups and organisations.

•                That a detailed report would come to the next cabinet meeting.

Andy Brown - Director of Finance and Procurement advised that Wiltshire Council continued to lobby Central Government. That the size of the impact created by the pandemic across Wiltshire was a significant one.

That these were unprecedented times for all councils, and that both elected members and officers were working together, committed to resolve the financial position.

Graham Wright, Chair of OS Management Committee advised that Scrutiny and the Covid-19 Task Group had viewed the report.

Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group and other Cllrs were given the opportunity to discuss the report.

Resolved that Cabinet:

•                Notes the 2019/20 revenue outturn position and the use of emergency Government funding in the last weeks of March to offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

•                Approves the transfers to and from the Councils earmarked reserves as detailed in Appendix B.

•                Approves the transfer of the £0.468m provisional outturn underspend to the General Fund Reserve.

•                Recommends to Full Council to include slippage from the 2019/20 Capital Programme of £35.535m is added to the 2020/21 Capital Programme.

•                Approves the review of the Capital Programme 2020/21 and the deferral of schemes shown in Appendix D to the total of £101.683m into the 2021/22 financial year. 

•                Notes that a further report will be presented in July, which will include a further update on the Councils finances and further details on actions to mitigate the forecast financial position.

•                Notes the Section 151 officer’s summary of the impact of COVID -19 on the Council’s 2020 / 2021 budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy.

Reason for the decision

That the report provided Cabinet with a further update on the work undertaken and ongoing by Wiltshire Council in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The response to the pandemic had and would have immediate and long-lasting implications for Wiltshire’s economy, communities and residents as well as the Council itself. It was therefore necessary to regularly update cabinet on the short and long-term actions that are being taken to address the impact of this pandemic.

Note: Cllr Richard Clewer and Cllr Bridget Wayman did not vote on this matter