Issue - meetings
Covid-19 Winter Grant Scheme
Meeting: 27/11/2020 - Cabinet (Item 1)
1 Covid-19 Winter Grant Scheme 
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Minutes:
Background:
This report provided details of the Winter Grant Scheme proposals funded by the Government to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, to which the Leader’s approval, under urgency provisions, was sought.
The report explained that on 8 November the Department for Work and Pensions announced a £170million COVID Winter Grant Scheme to support children, families and the most vulnerable over winter. The funding was ring-fenced and covered the period to the end of March 2021. Medway Council’s initial allocation was £908,596.
The report stated that the aim of the scheme was “to give vulnerable households peace of mind in the run up to Christmas and over the Winter months during the pandemic by helping those who need it to have food on the table and other essentials, so every child will be warm and well-fed this winter.”
The report noted that the urgency provisions were set out in the Constitution (paragraph 3.2 of Part 3 (Responsibility for Cabinet functions) of Chapter 3 (Responsibility for Functions) of the Constitution).
The Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the taking of these decisions were urgent and could not be reasonably deferred until the next Cabinet meeting on 15 December 2020, in accordance with Section 11 (Cases of special urgency) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements)(Meetings and Access to Information)(England) Regulations 2012 and Rule 17 (Special Urgency) of the Access to Information Rules (Part 2 of Chapter 4 in the Constitution).
Additionally, and in line with rule 15.11 of Chapter 4, Part 5 of the Constitution, call-in could be waived where any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would seriously prejudice the Council’s or the Public’s interests. The Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the decisions proposed were reasonable in all the circumstances and to them being treated as a matter of urgency and to waive call-in.
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Decision number: |
Decision: |
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150/2020 |
The Leader, using urgency powers, agreed the proposals set out in section 3 of the report as the Council’s approach to delivering the Covid Winter Grant and agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Leader and the Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Services, to finalise and implement these proposals. |
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151/2020 |
The Leader, using urgency powers, agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Public Health in consultation with the Leader and the Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Services, to make minor amendments to the proposals to enable them to continue to support vulnerable households in Medway, including establishing any discretionary eligibility criteria where discussions remain ongoing and where further Government advice is provided. |
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152/2020 |
The Leader agreed that decisions 150/2020 and 151/2020 are considered urgent and therefore should not be subject to call-in. |
Reasons:
Given the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of cost to the local taxpayer it is appropriate for the Council to introduce these measures.