Councillor McGurk, Convener, presided.

S Black, Chief Executive; S Quinn, Director of Children's Services; M Crearie, Director of Communities, Housing & Planning Services; G McNeil, Director of Environment & Infrastructure; A Russell, Director of Finance & Resources; L McIntyre, Head of Policy & Commissioning and L Mahon, Head of Communications & Marketing (both Chief Executive's); J Trainer, Head of Childcare & Criminal Justice and Chief Social Work Officer (Children's Services); O Reid, Head of Communities & Public Protection and C Dalrymple, Communities & Regulatory Manager (both Communities, Housing & Planning Services); P Murray, Head of ICT; L Neary, Head of Transformation, HR & OD, M Conaghan, Legal & Democratic Services Manager and D Low, Democratic Services Manager (all Finance & Resources); S Strachan, Acting Head of Health & Social Care (Paisley) (Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership); V Hollows, Chief Executive (Renfrewshire Leisure); and D Mair, Civil Contingencies Manager, Civil Contingencies Service.

 

 

Councillor Andy Doig.

Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Convener intimated that this meeting of the Board would be recorded and that the recording would be available to watch on the Council's website.

Councillor Campbell declared an interest in item 2 on the agenda as she was an employee of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde but not in the Council's area and intimated that she would remain in the meeting during consideration of the item.

There was submitted the Minute of the meeting of the Board held on 19 June 2020.

DECIDED: That the Minute be approved.

There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to the Council’s current arrangements and response to the ongoing international Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The report intimated that, locally, one COVID-19 death had been recorded in hospital in Renfrewshire in the week to 29 June 2020. Three COVID-19 deaths had been recorded in hospital in the previous week to 22 June 2020. Both figures represented a significant reduction from the peak recorded in the week to 27 April 2020 when 40 deaths were recorded in Renfrewshire. During the previous week, up to 29 June 2020, there were four successive days when no COVID-19 deaths were reported in Scotland. Since 1 June 2020 overall numbers of deaths in Renfrewshire had been in line with the 5-year average. This represented a significant reduction from the peak recorded during the week to 27 April 2020 when almost 60 deaths above average levels were recorded in Renfrewshire. Deaths in Care Homes in Renfrewshire were below the 5-year average up to 30 March 2020, but then peaked during the pandemic remaining above average levels till week commencing 25 May 2020. 

The report advised that new cases identified in the UK peaked around 7 May 2020 at approximately 6,000 cases per day and since then numbers identified had declined steadily. Currently just under 1,000 new cases per day were being identified in the UK. New cases identified in Scotland peaked twice, in late April and in early May at just over 270 new cases per day. Since then cases identified had declined steadily and currently around 10 new cases were being identified per day across Scotland. 

The report provided information on the national position including the number of cases and deaths at both Scottish and UK levels. The recent publication of updated figures and analysis from the National Records of Scotland was also included which showed that the rate of increase in deaths from COVID-19 was beginning to slow. A summary was also given of policy and guidance updates that had been released since the previous meeting of the Board on 19 June 2020.  It was noted that there were currently 313,483 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in hospitals in the UK up from 300,469 reported on 19 June 2020. In Scotland there were now 18,259 confirmed hospital cases (up from 18,077). Of these, 4,858 cases were within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area (up from 4,813). In GGCHB area there were 199 people in hospital (down from 249) with fewer than five in intensive care as either confirmed or suspected cases.

The report intimated that there had now been 43,906 deaths across the UK (up from the 42,288 deaths reported on 19 June 2020). The UK ranked third for overall numbers of recorded deaths, behind both Brazil and the United States. The latest National Records of Scotland report showed that at 14 June 2020, there had been a total of 4,155 deaths registered in Scotland where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate – up 35 from 4,070 deaths registered up to 21 June 2020. In Renfrewshire, a total of 205 people had died with COVID-19 since the outbreak of the virus. Of this total figure, 98 had died in care homes, 98 in hospital and nine at home or other non-institutional locations.

The report detailed the work being done nationally to make the case for additional funding and/or financial flexibility to support local authorities in meeting the financial implications arising from COVID-19 over coming years. Current estimates indicated a possible full year impact for 2020/21 of up to £55 million for the Council, with additional funding announced of around £9.5 million to begin to address this impact.

The report provided an update on the Council's services in terms of the Scottish Government's recovery plan including the full reopening of schools and early years services in August, under guidance expected soon from the Scottish Government, with the plans already made to deliver a blended model being retained as a contingency. A firm decision on which approach to follow would be based on wider progress with suppressing the virus and the decision would be made by the Scottish Government by the end of July 2020. A copy of the Education Recovery Plan submitted to Education Scotland on 24 June 2020 was attached as Appendix 3 to the report. The report also provided information in relation to support for businesses; household waste recycling; grass cutting; spaces for people and cycling; support for care at home, and for shielded and vulnerable people and oversight of care homes; test and protect arrangements; and support for employees.

The report referred to plans being put in place for the next round of Local Partnership meetings to take place using an online platform such as Skype or MS Teams. The Partnerships and Inequalities Team, along with other Council services, would work with the Chair of each Local Partnership to develop arrangements to support participation and the Head of Policy and Commissioning would contact all Local Partnership Chairs to schedule the next round of meetings from mid-September 2020.

Members heard from the Chief Executive in response to Members’ questions on Council contracts and funding issues; from the Director of Finance and Resources in relation to the administration and repurposing of funding available to the Council; from the Director of Environment and Infrastructure in relation to the grass cutting programme, the cleaning of schools and the operation of Household Waste Recycling Centres; from the Acting Head of Health & Social Care (Paisley) in relation to testing arrangements in care homes; from the Head of Policy and Commissioning in relation to the resumption of Local Partnership meetings; and from the Head of Childcare & Criminal Justice and Chief Social Work Officer in relation to domestic abuse.

DECIDED:

(a) That the current national and local situation with regards to COVID-19 and the impact on communities, businesses and the Council and its partners be noted; 

(b) That the response measures being put in place by the Council and its partners be noted;

(c) That the Education Recovery Plan submitted to Education Scotland on 24 June 2020 and attached as Appendix 3 to this report be noted; and

(d) That it be agreed that the next round of Local Partnership meetings take place virtually through an online platform such as Skype or MS Teams with arrangements being made to support participation as set out in Section 7 of the report.

There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance and Resources relative to the arrangements for future meetings of the Emergencies Board.  

The report referred to the meeting of Council held on 25 June 2020 when it was agreed that arrangements for the Emergencies Board should be finalised by agreement with members of the Board on two issues: the time for the start of the board meetings and the arrangement of dates of the meetings to avoid clashing with the dates of COSLA Leaders meetings and the Paisley Fair holiday weekend.

To address these issues, paragraph 3.6 of the report proposed that after the planned meetings on 3 and 17 July, the Emergencies Board meeting on 31 July be postponed until the following Friday, 7 August 2020. Subsequent meetings of the Board would take place every two weeks following that date up until the Council meeting on 24 September 2020. This would mean that there were no meetings of the Emergencies Board on the dates of the COSLA Leaders meetings. All of the meetings would take place at 2 pm.

DECIDED: That the arrangements for dates of future meetings of the Board set out in paragraph 3.6 of the report with all meetings of the Board starting at 2.00 pm be approved.

It was noted that there were no items for decision by the Board.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Emergencies Board would be held at 2.00 pm on  17 July 2020.

The Board resolved to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business as it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the press and public were present, there could be disclosure to them of confidential information.

It was noted that there were no confidential updates.