Minutes:
This is the last Executive Meeting of 2020. It has been without doubt a tumultuous year. I would like to start this meeting recalling all those who have sadly passed away this year including:
· The 189 residents who have died with Covid;
· The horrific Forbury murders of James Furlong and his friends; and
· James Box’s sudden and unexpected death.
Please could you join me in just a moment’s silence.
As we prepare for a Christmas that will, due to Covid, be like no other any of us can recall, I want to take a brief moment to look forward with some hope to 2021.
This has been a terrible year and I do not wish to downplay the suffering people have gone through. Whether you have lost a loved one, struggled with illness, stress or anxiety or have been financially hit by this pandemic. My thoughts are with you and the Council is here to help.
We also have a rising number of cases in the Borough and so must be vigilant and sensible. Keep to the Covid-19 rules and limit the number of people we meet. We were moved into Tier 3 today with the additional restrictions that brings.
As a result of significant data analysis, we have identified and will identify six Wards; the hot spots. Today they are Winnersh, Shinfield, Bulmershe and Whitegates, Loddon, Emmbrook and Sonning where the incidence of Coronavirus at the moment is the highest and will be concentrating our efforts and messaging there. Councillors and residents are asked to work with us to change behaviour. This list of hotspots will change from week to week.
It is vital, therefore, that we remember and keep to the Covid rules and, in particular at this time of year, remember that the more social interaction we have, the more we risk spreading infection.
However, there are reasons to be optimistic in Wokingham Borough thanks to our fantastic voluntary organisations, health and care workers and diligent Council Officers we are coping with Covid-19 collectively, compassionately and with much innovation.
Today we launched one of the first lateral flow testing services in the country, I believe it to be the first, that will help people visit residents in care homes at Christmas. The tests are being offered at Shute End to those with loved ones in those homes that have signed up to the scheme. In this way, we are adding peace of mind to people who want to visit the homes but who, understandably, want to minimise risk of taking infection with them.
We will be assisting schools to introduce lateral flow testing in the New Year.
Our support for the NHS’s local tracing service is proving effective, with 90% contact tracing success in the Borough. This is in part thanks to our introduction of text message tracing and door-knocking to follow-up on contacts.
We are also helping the NHS with its vaccination programme, with care workers in the Borough among the first to get the jab. As 2020 has been the year of Covid-19, it must be hoped that 2021 is the year of the vaccine. As I have mentioned, our cases are rising, and the vaccination programme will take time to roll out and so it is no panacea: but it is a cause for optimism and that is an important commodity right now.
I am delighted to announce that Wokingham Borough Council is launching an 18-month pilot scheme to help people with mental health issues in the Borough funded by a generous donation from a resident. The scheme will be run on the Council’s behalf by mental health charity Oxfordshire MIND, giving our GPs very valuable help. Among the areas it will focus on are recognising mental health issues early and intervening to prevent conditions deteriorating, ensuring timely referrals to specialists, coordinating the support available for those with mental health issues and promoting awareness of the issues in the community.
The pilot service will be inclusive, ethically and able to meet the wellbeing and mental needs of a diverse range of residents of the Borough. It will develop a way to support those with mild to moderate mental health needs, for instance including non-medical interventions such as social prescribing, self-management, peer support, signposting, and activities. It is estimated that it will support about a thousand people each year.
Apart from Covid, we have other reasons for optimism in the Borough.
Despite the pandemic and resulting economic problems, our regenerated Wokingham town centre is attracting new businesses that are prepared to invest at this difficult time because we have been prepared to invest in the Town. The new homes in the town centre, built as part of the regeneration, are selling fast and the retail and business units are being snapped up. Earley, Woodley and Twyford are also vibrant. This, along with our other prudent investments are providing a sound financial base to underpin our services and improve our schools, leisure centres, roads and other community facilities.
As a sign of confidence in our Borough I am delighted to announce plans to develop the "largest purpose-built film studio" in the UK have been put forward in Wokingham. US company Blackhall Studios and the University of Reading want to build the new £150m studios at Thames Valley Science Park in Wokingham. Blackhall said the move would "bring major Hollywood film productions to the UK" and create up to 3,000 jobs.
Notwithstanding a very challenging year, our finances are strong and our Finance Team second to none. Whilst there is some incomprehensible and, may I say, uninformed concentration on our gross borrowings, our net borrowings are extremely low and interest rates are pegged for up to 50 years. We will be presenting a balanced budget which continues to be ambitious in our aim to:
The issue of housing numbers has been overshadowed by Covid but it is vitally important to our future. You will recall that, during the summer, the Government proposed a new methodology for allocating housing that would have buried our Borough under an avalanche of concrete, with developers able to build at will. At the time, I felt that I was a lone voice. We campaigned hard against this and we have been successful. Our housing numbers at 759 (30 below the standard method of 789) are still too high but considerably more achievable that the 1,635 the white paper proposed. This is as a direct result of all those who lobbied for a different approach among whom we were a major voice and I would like to thank all the Councillors, our very hard dedicated MPs and residents, for their support.
Therefore, despite the ongoing pandemic, I believe we can look forward to 2021 with some cautious optimism. Covid-19 has not gone away and we must remain careful, in particular over Christmas, but the foundations are in place for the Borough to recover strongly from this awful year.
Please observe the rules rigorously especially during the Christmas period. Help us to slow down the increase and to reverse it.
May I thank all the Directors and Officers who have been throughout the year flexible, innovative and dedicated. Thank you for your considerable commitment to the wellbeing of our residents.
May I thank my Executive team for their hard work and all the Councillors for their support.
Lastly may I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.