Bucks: Coronavirus challenge tackled by new council

Grants have been handed out by the council after thousands of firms applied for small business relief funding due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

This is just one of the ways the new Buckinghamshire Council has worked as a "gateway" between government chiefs and Bucks residents as top councillors from across the county respond to the “massive challenge” coronavirus has created.

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Speaking at a virtual meeting of the council's cabinet, leader Martin Tett added: “Local government across the country has really stepped up to the plate to deliver on behalf of central government.

“There’s an enormous strain on the council’s finances currently, which most residents won’t see or be aware of and we have appealed to central government to help us with that.

“We’re really struggling financially but we are doing the right thing on behalf of our residents and businesses and we’re not going to stop doing the right thing.”

Here’s what the council’s teams have been up to.

Businesses

Business chief Cllr Nick Naylor said the council has been operating as the “gateway” between central government and local businesses.

This comes as more than £52 million has been paid out in small business grants to around 4,000 Buckinghamshire firms from a possible 6,500.

The council is still receiving around 200 applications a day for this relief.

Cllr Naylor also revealed a group has been set up connecting Bucks Business First, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the private sector to look at the economic recovery of the county.

He said the group is looking at how best to make sure businesses get back on their feet and what can be done to make sure support is available should a global event like this happen again.

Council leaders and staff

An emergency planning team was set up to respond to the virus and situation report meetings take place daily to keep bosses up to date on the latest developments.

NHS and local resilience forum members are part of these meetings and MPs are regularly in contact with leader Martin Tett and Chief Executive Rachel Shimmin for local updates.

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The “vast majority” of staff are working in their normal jobs but where they are not they have been re-trained for other purposes, and there are now 200 working in social care.

Bosses have also set up eight community hubs across the county to support vulnerable people who do not have access to support from friends or family.

Children’s services and schools

Some of the county's more than 100 schools are partly-open and are providing care for the children of key workers.

Four headteachers told Cllr Martin Tett about the work they are doing here.

The council’s family information service is regularly updated with resources and ideas for families for things to do with children.

It also has information about education support, parenting advice and wellbeing guidance, too.

Food parcels

The council is contact with the government over confusion about registering and de-registering for food packages.

Some residents have lost their priority slots for shopping because they did not want their emergency food boxes.

Sarah Ashmead, the council’s deputy chief executive, said: “We have had some people who, because they got the emergency food box and didn’t want it, they then lost their priority access to supermarkets.

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“So we are in contact with the government to make sure that doesn’t happen again going forward.

“Our advice would be, tell us you’ve got that food, we can get it to the foodbank but don’t lose your slot on the priority shopping list.”

Social care

Adult social care chiefs have identified 1,200 vulnerable clients across the county deemed to need more support during this tough time because they are either living alone or dependent on a single carer.

These residents have been split into two categories. Those in category one get a daily phone call from the social care team asking them if they have everything they need.

Those in category two are contacted twice a week.

Cllr Angela Macpherson, the council’s social care boss, said: “We’ve had some amazing feedback from clients who have thanked us for this service.

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“They’re saying things like ‘if it wasn’t for the care of your staff have taken, not only to feed me but to call and have a chat, I would be totally alone. They’ve been wonderful.’”