Cllr Martin Thacker is the Leader of North East Derbyshire Council.
In line with our Conservative Manifesto commitment during the 2019 election, North East Derbyshire District Council announced a Council Tax freeze for 2020/21. The intention is to give real help to households in difficult times.
The Council could have opted to increase Council Tax up to a maximum of 1.99 per cent. However, putting financial wellbeing of North East Derbyshire residents at the forefront of decision making, the Council chose to forgo the additional £118,000 that the 1.99 per cent rise would have generated. Instead, the Conservative administration undertook a line by line budget review to identify ongoing savings so a freeze could be managed, without detriment to the quality of frontline services.
We did not foresee the coronavirus pandemic. As with many Councils, COVID-19 is having a detrimental impact on the Council’s 2020/21 budget and cash flow due to lost income from fees and charges. The grants received from Government are hugely welcome and being used to meet budget shortfalls. Unfortunately, funding only goes some way in meeting income losses and those forecast as the pandemic continues.
A further review of approved expenditure budgets for 2020/21 has taken place to help minimise the negative impact. Steps taken to minimise a downturn in income include:
Income and expenditure remains under regular review as the situation continues to evolve.
Cash flow remains a concern but is being managed closely to ensure measures put in place are sufficient to protect us through the recovery phase.
The impact of COVID-19 has been wide and far reaching within the Council. It has required a strong leadership response to ensure continued provision of essential services for residents and businesses. It has necessitated management of extensive home working, shielding, and isolation arrangements for staff.
At North East Derbyshire, we immediately set up a Community Support Team. We implemented business continuity arrangements to protect people who need our help and ensure vital services for all local residents. With some staff being redeployed into different jobs overnight, we created a team that has, to date:
As a Council, we led a county-wide project to get homeless people off the streets. We are providing urgent accommodation for some of the most vulnerable (including victims of domestic abuse, those with specific needs, and people who have found themselves without a home for various reasons). We are now endeavouring to ensure this work has a positive and sustainable legacy with the objective that these people do not end up homeless again. We will ensure support and practical advice for them to move on positively with their lives.
Our Environmental Health Team has been central to implementing many of the Government’s social distancing and business requirements. They have been providing support to the local business community by sharing advice and guidance on risk assessments and controls necessary to become ‘COVID secure’, as businesses strive to reopen when permitted. So far, the team has contacted 500 premises and engaged positively with them. We are implementing plans to assist high street businesses in the four towns covered by our District. The Council has launched a shop local campaign too.
We are now moving from the response phase to recovery. The Council has developed plans to bring services back safely and kick start the local economy. We are working to breathe life back into North East Derbyshire once more.
All of this comes at a cost. However, by remaining on top of our current budget position, developing short, medium, and long-term forecasts, and discussing priorities and options regularly, we have been able to make informed decisions which support residents, staff, and businesses through this unprecedented national crisis.
The path of COVID-19 in front of us may be long but as a Council we remain steadfast in our resolve to put the welfare of every resident first and foremost.