Decision details

The purpose of this report is to set out the Council’s Community Recovery Plan in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Council’s Community Recovery Plan forms part of a Recovery Framework which will be presented to the Executive on 3 August 2020.

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on every aspect of life and society in our Borough, and it has led to logistical challenges, created financial difficulties and prompted community-wide concerns around health and well-being.

This report focuses on the impact of the pandemic on leisure and community facilities and organisations within the Borough and suggests actions that the Council might take to help the sector to recover over the coming months.

Although we are now entering the Recovery Phase, continuing restrictions around social distancing, public fear around using community spaces and the economic downturn that the virus has triggered mean that even once the doors to community facilities reopen, they will face many further challenges.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves the Covid-19 Community Recovery Plan and the following actions therein:

i)             To support our Community Centres and Sports Clubs through this challenging period, a special grants programme be considered to assist them with the additional expenses being accrued at this time.  This scheme will be presented in a separate report to the Executive;

ii)            the Leisure Centre contract, regarding the agreed capital investment and the duration of the contract, be reviewed.  The results of this review will be presented in a separate report to the Executive;

iii)           an assessment of the Council’s Arts and Entertainment project, including its capital costs and current business plan be carried out.  The results of this review will be presented in a separate report to the Executive; 

iv)           youth projects are likely to face additional costs when they finally reopen their facilities.  As the Youth Activity Fund for the year has yet to be paid out, it offers an opportunity for the Council to distribute the funding to best support the Youth Projects;

v)            to build on the lessons learnt from the pandemic and to reflect these changes in the future service level agreements with our voluntary organisations;

vi)           to work closely with our voluntary organisations to understand more fully the issues at hand and identify longer term solutions to the provision of the Food Bank;

vii)          to develop alternative proposals to replace the Christmas Lights Switch-On event.  These proposals will be presented in a separate report to the Executive;

viii)        in order to encourage smaller craft stands to the Fareham and Portchester markets, those traders not eligible for the discretionary business grant to receive free pitch hire until Christmas 2020; and

ix)           to present a separate report to the Executive recommending the establishment of a community lottery in Fareham.