03/28/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

BOUNCING back from Covid-19 in Blaenau Gwent will become part and parcel of everyday work at the council, a report says.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Corporate Overview Committee, councillors will get the chance to have their say on the Covid-19 Recovery Plan.

The report by the authority’s corporate director for regeneration and community services, Richard Crook, explains that the approach will cover four sectors – economy, social services, education, and council workforce.

Mr Crook said: “Members will be aware that the approach to emergency planning adopted by the council and across the public sector is via two stages.

“The first stage is response which the council has been actively working
within throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The second stage is recovery.

“We are all aware that, in relation to Covid-19, the council has had to
operate using a twin track approach with recovery running, at times, in
parallel with response.

“The intention is not to prepare a specific recovery plan, but to ensure that
the recovery actions are embedded into the council’s governance
arrangements using the business planning and performance management
processes.”

According to Mr Crook this will allow the council to be able to “measure recovery.”.

The report outlines how the council hopes to bounce back in each of the key areas.

On social services, the report says that the council hopes to get staffing levels up to “pre-pandemic levels,” with face-to-face assessment and engagement carried out as well as “unrestricted access” to support services.

For education, the hope is that schools and education providers are “fully operational” and able to cater for all pupil and student needs.

This would allow pupils to “effectively transition” through the different educational stages.

The main focus would be “wellbeing” and allowing Blaenau Gwent youngsters to achieve their potential.

On economy, the report says that the intention is to “provide a framework” that allows the council to support “creating the conditions” for Blaenau Gwent to “recover, prosper and develop sustainable in a post-pandemic economy.”

The hope is “as a minimum” the unemployment rate in Blaenau Gwent will fall to the Wales national average, and that shoppers will return to the towns which will help increase wages in the county.

On the Blaenau Gwent workforce, the report says that the council hopes the absence rate will fall including from Covid-19 and self-isolate and that the agile working hubs become fully operational.

Councillors will provide a recommendation on the report which is expected to go forward to a meeting of the Executive Committee for a decision on Wednesday, March 2.

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