Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Stallard and House.

All Members who believe they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting must declare that interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3 Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore all Members with a Non-Pecuniary interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 2 of the Code, consider whether it is appropriate to leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Non-Pecuniary interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 2 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2020 were agreed as a correct record.

To receive any deputations notified under Standing Order 12.

There were no deputations.

The Chairman invited Councillor Porter to address the Board. Councillor Porter spoke on the importance of ensuring that families not in receipt of free school meals, or families who are isolating, have their food needs met should there be a second outbreak or following end of the furlough scheme. Councillor Porter also spoke regarding equal access to education in the home and the importance of ensuring that children are provided with access to school resources online, the internet and necessary hardware to access this if it is not available to them in their home environment.  

To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.

The Chairman welcomed Councillor Ken Rhatigan, representing District and Borough Councils, and Judy Gillow, representing the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Partnership of Clinical Commissioning Groups to their first Board meeting.

In terms of calling additional urgent meetings outside of the monthly pattern, the Chairman noted that there were existing governance procedures in place which would allow for this if necessary. Given the pace at which the national crisis was moving, the Chairman noted the importance of communication between all stakeholders and ensuring key messages are communicated to the public. The Chairman highlighted that a new County Council webpage – Keeping Hampshire Safe - (www.hants.gov.uk/coronavirus) had been created with information, resources and links to the Covid-19 dashboard.

The Chairman commented on the current low infection rates within the South East but also noted that the virus remained in circulation. He emphasised the importance of collaborative working to keep Hampshire safe and the key actions that should be undertaken by all, these being:

·         Keeping a 2m social distance where possible from those who are not within your household.

·         Wearing a face covering when asked to do so.

·         Washing hands frequently.

·         If you have symptoms, get a Covid-19 test. Tests can be booked via the NHS website – www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling the NHS testing line dialling 119.

To receive a report from the Director of Public Health on the current situation and up to date data. Please note that a supplementary appendix containing the latest data will be published shortly before the meeting.

The Director of Public Health shared the weekly update with the Board outlining the current position in term of managing the outbreak in Hampshire including data on current infection numbers, the position for care homes and death rates across the county.

In response to Members’ questions, it was confirmed that the rate of Covid-19 infections in the Basingstoke and Deane area appeared higher due to the higher testing rates at the beginning of the pandemic which had produced a higher volume of positive tests. The Director confirmed that there was no cause for concern for the Basingstoke and Deane area. The Board noted the importance of having a ratio between the number of tests and the number of identified virus cases.

To consider a report from the Director of Public Health on actions taken and powers that have been used.

The Director of Public Health confirmed that no actions had been undertaken under delegated powers.

The Director provided the Board with an overview of the delegated authority, the ways in which this was provided for under existing and recent legislation and the criteria that must be met to enact these powers. The Board noted that, were any local lockdown arrangements required, be this the closure of a particular place or setting or the lockdown of a wider geographical area, close liaison with the District or Borough Authority would be undertaken by the County Council.

The information provided to the Board regarding the delegated powers was agreed to be attached for reference to the meeting documents and can be accessed here: https://democracy.hants.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=738&MId=7196

To consider an update on community engagement and messaging, including communication with communities and district councils.

The Director of Public Health updated the Board on communications and engagement noting that a comprehensive approach was being followed including close collaboration with Local Resilience Forum partners.

There were two strands to the communication approach – reactive response to an incident/outbreak and proactive prevention. The Board heard that weekly communications were being published each with a specific focus such as hand washing or social distancing and that social media, amongst other channels, was playing a key role in delivering these messages. Furthermore, the County Council was working with different sectors of the community, such as schools and Early Years settings, businesses and care homes, to ensure that the up to date, relevant information was being shared on a regular basis.