Under the new Coronavirus Contingency Planning Procedures, as approved by the Leader of the Council, the executive (Leader and Cabinet) priorities of the Council are amended to simply be:

(i)  preservation of life;

(ii)  supporting the vulnerable;

(iii)  safeguarding children; and

(iv)  aiding the Borough’s businesses and economy during this period that contingency planning is required to respond to an emergency situation and manage the effects of a covid-19 epidemic.

In view of the Leader’s decision to agree that

(i)  the Head of Paid Service is authorised to take any action in furtherance of the priorities set out above, acting in consultation with the Leader, Cabinet member and/or Group Leaders wherever it is reasonable and practicable in the opinion of the Head of Paid Service to do so; and

(ii)  the Head of Paid Service and each Director is authorised to take any action that officer consider is reasonably necessary to protect the health, safety or welfare of individuals.

The following decision has been made:

(1)  To approve the making of additional payments to Domiciliary Care and Supported Living Care Providers of £200 for each person receiving care from them on a Council commissioned package from the week commencing 23 March, 2020.

(2)  To approve:

(a)  the making of payments in accordance with the Payment Plan for Domiciliary Care, Supported Living and Day Care Providers throughout the full payment periods of 2020-21 up to 31 May 2020,

(b)  that for such period there shall be no retrospective reconciliation of accounts back to actuals spend

(c)  that there be a review of the process for payments and their reconciliation for the period beyond 31 May 2020.

Under the new Coronavirus Contingency Planning Procedures, as approved by the Leader of the Council, the executive (Leader and Cabinet) priorities of the Council are amended to simply be:

(i)  preservation of life;

(ii)  supporting the vulnerable;

(iii)  safeguarding children; and

(iv)  aiding the Borough’s businesses and economy

during this period that contingency planning is required to respond to an emergency situation and manage the effects of a covid-19 epidemic.

In view of the Leader’s decision to agree that:

(i)  the Head of Paid Service is authorised to take any action in furtherance of the priorities set out above, acting in consultation with the Leader, Cabinet member and/or Group Leaders wherever it is reasonable and practicable in the opinion of the Head of Paid Service to do so; and

(ii)  the Head of Paid Service and each Director is authorised to take any action that officer consider is reasonably necessary to protect the health, safety or welfare of individuals.

Resolved:

(a)  That a grant scheme of up to £350,000 be established for childcare providers that are experiencing cashflow hardships whilst awaiting financial support or because they do not qualify for other financial support schemes.

(b)  That the Director for Children, Families and Education administer the grant scheme and to:

(i)  provide grants of up to £10,000 per provider on an exceptional circumstances basis;

(ii)  establish qualifying criteria to meet exceptional circumstances; and

(iii)  set evidence requirements to be submitted with applications that qualify for grant funding