To consider any item(s) of business in respect of which notice has been given in accordance with Part 4 (paragraph 4) of the Council Procedure Rules and which the person presiding at the meeting is of the opinion should by reason of special circumstances be transacted at the meeting as a matter of urgency.
Minutes:
The Mayor accepted the following question as an urgent item, in accordance with Part 4 (paragraph 4) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.
Question from Councillor MC Voisey to the Leader
Could the Leader outline the discussions he has had with the First Minister and other Welsh Government officials before the announcement of the 'circuit-breaker' lockdown. What evidence was he provided with to ensure that this was the only necessary course of action and does he support it?"
Response
All Leaders of local authorities in Wales met with the First Minister on 15 October 2020, regarding the above proposal. Similarly, all Leaders met with the Local Government Minister on 16 and 18 October. Welsh Government officials as they had made publically, then made a compelling case based on scientific and medical information produced by the Chief Scientific and Chief Medical Officer in Wales and following the holding of Covid-19 Specialist Advisory Groups that considered this information. The circuit-breaker decision was subsequently made, due to the increase in coronavirus cases across Wales, which confirmed in turn, that hospital admissions were rising and would continue to do so in the immediate future, if no action was taken. If no action had been taken, then a loss of further lives would have taken place, together with a risk of the NHS in Wales being overwhelmed by an increase in hospital admissions as a result of increased Covid-19 cases. This case was made to all Leaders of welsh local authorities and the Leader confirmed, that he had not heard an alternative set of measures being proposed, including by an opposition party, to the one suggested by the First Minister. This action was required, in order to stem the rise and spread of Covid-19 cases within our welsh communities. Our Instant Management Team, a Multi-Agency group for the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region, that includes Bridgend, Merthyr and Rhondda Cynon Taf local authorities, have agreed with the recommendation made by Welsh Government that urgent action is required at this time, in order to stem the tide of the virus in order to ensure any loss of life as a result of the pandemic, is as limited as possible.
Supplementary question from Councillor MC Voisey
The national lockdown will have the danger of damaging the economic and health wellbeing of more people, than the potential effects of Covid-19. I understand all 22 Local Authority leaders requested secondary schools remain open, and that greater use of regional lockdowns, in hot spots be used. Clearly your voices were ignored by the First Minister. We now have businesses like gyms (now open in Liverpool) important to the wellbeing, physical and mental health of our citizens, closed, without evidence of them being of danger of spreading Covid, likewise hairdressers etc. When the two week lockdown is reviewed, what will you as Leader do to support the unheard voices of the people and businesses you represent, to ensure they get a fair hearing.
Response
The Leader stated that he was disappointed that the Councillor had not asked a similar question in the pre-Council briefing today, when experts such as Professor Nnoaham and Public Health Wales, were present there.
He added that he shared the concerns regarding the impact the ‘circuit breaker’ would have on businesses. However, the Leader was pleased to note, that Welsh Government had announced an extra financial commitment of £200m for welsh businesses, which he believed was the biggest support package delivered thus far across all of the UK and far larger than had been committed by the UK government, ie £65m for Greater Manchester. He acknowledged however, that there was still a need to ensure that the support was comprehensive and to this end, local authorities were continuing to work with Welsh Government regarding the finer detail of this funding. A bigger risk than that referred to in the supplementary question, would be that if Welsh Government hadn’t acted now through the circuit breaker, there would be harsher and probably even longer restrictions facing the welsh public and possibly these would have been extended over the Xmas period. This would have an even greater detrimental effect in terms of damage to the economy and businesses across the BCB. He felt that Members should recognise that any decisions that were made in relation to lockdown due to the pandemic, were very difficult to make and these would all to varying degrees result in a negative impact on both the public and the economy in local areas and/or in Wales as a whole. He felt that the most important thing was that Welsh Government had to act when it did, to stem the flow of the virus that was increasing throughout all areas of Wales and proving a danger to life.
Second supplementary question from Councillor S Baldwin
Could the Leader confirm, that throughout the detailed discussions welsh local authority Leaders had with the First Minister regarding the circuit breaker lockdown, what opposition groups in Wales including in the Senydd, offered as an alternative course of action to this in the face of rising Covid-19 cases and the failing track and trace app.
Response
The Leader replied that he was unaware of any alternative proposals put forward as an alternative to the circuit breaker, by political groups other than Labour, though he was aware that Plaid Cymru supported Welsh Government’s decision to introduce this, together with certain other Independent Leaders/ Members across Wales. However, the Leader reiterated, that the correct packages of support still needed to be put in place and local authorities were working with Welsh Government currently, in order to attempt to reach an agreement on how this could be best achieved.