Policy and Intelligence Newsletter 19 January 2021
The articles below have been drawn together by the policy and analytical community within the Council. Information is correct at the time of writing, 11am on 18 January.
G7 Summit
The Carbis Bay estate in Cornwall will be hosting the G7 Summit between the 11th and 13th of June 2021. The leaders of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the USA and the EU will be joined by the by the leaders of Australia, India and South Korea to discuss plans for international economic recovery. International delegates will also be staying at the Tregenna Castle Resort and other locations in neighbouring St Ives and around Cornwall. Cornwall Airport Newquay and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth will play an official role in the Summit, with Falmouth hosting UK and international media. Julian German, leader of Cornwall Council said the Summit is an opportunity to show the "crucial role" that rural areas like Cornwall will play in the decarbonised, digitised world of tomorrow. Visit Cornwall estimates the total economic impact for the region will be £50 million.
Covid-19
· The case rate in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly remains below the national average and fell by 14.8% in the seven days to January 12 with 1703 people returning a positive test during this period. The positive test rate in Cornwall is 0.2% (297.8 per 100,000).
· From 4am today (18 January 2021), all UK travel corridors are closed to people without a legally permitted reason to travel. Any travellers returning to the UK must self-isolate after arriving in the UK, even with a negative test. Tests are required three days before travel.
· The Times reports that people over 70 years of age will begin receiving letters today (Monday 18 January 2021) inviting them to arrange their coronavirus jab appointments. It is expected that more than 5.5 million people will be eligible, joining the four million over-80s, care home residents and health service and social care staff that have already been vaccinated.
· The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is contributing to the National COVID-19 Chest Imaging Database (NCCID) which is combining over 40,000 CT scans, MRIs and X-rays from more than 10,000 patients across the UK to create a database that can speed up diagnosis of COVID-19, a quicker treatment plan and a greater understanding of whether the patient may end up in a critical condition.
· As of Thursday 14 January 2021, 35 confirmed and 12 probable cases of the South African variant of SARS-CoV-2 variant have been identified in the UK. There have also been eight confirmed cases of Brazilian variants of the virus identified in the UK. The spread and significance of these variations remains under investigation.
· The Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment Nadhim Zahawi has said councils will have the granular vaccine take up data they need to understand how successful the vaccine rollout has been in their areas. Mr Zahawi is understood to have made a commitment that directors of public health will have the data they need to tailor efforts to reach those who have not yet taken up the offer of a vaccine, but no date has been given for sharing local or middle layer super output area data, which public health directors have been calling for.
Brexit
· The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will chair a new Cabinet committee to identify EU-derived regulations that restrict business freedoms in the UK. The prime minister will meet with 30 senior business leaders today (Monday 21 January) to discuss regulatory freedoms and reforming EU rules, in a plan to turn the UK into the “Singapore of Europe” the Times reports.
Devolution
· Devolution is to be part of one of five strands in a new curriculum being developed to overhaul training for civil servants improve Civil Service skills and expertise the Cabinet Office has announced.
Economy
· The budget deficit continues to rise very sharply with the pace of government borrowing picking up again in November 2020 to reach £32 billion, the highest monthly total since May. Year-to-date borrowing now stands at £241 billion, far exceeding the pre-virus annual record set at the peak of the financial crisis (£158 billion).The Office for Budget Responsibility’s November forecast reports the government response to the coronavirus has caused the UK economy to shrink by 11% in 2020, the deepest recession in over 300 years. The government will borrow almost £400 billion this year, generating the highest budget deficit since 1944 and generating public debt in excess of 100% of GDP for the first time since 1960. The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Economic Update speech on 11 January 2021 reported the loss of over 800,000 jobs since February 2020 with the economy now 6.7% smaller than it was before the Covid crisis.
· The government intends to legislate to expand the Dormant Assets Scheme to include over £800 million in additional unclaimed assets from the insurance and pensions, investment and wealth management, and securities sectors for social and environmental causes.
· The bidding process for providers on Tier 1 of the Department for Work and Pensions’ Commercial Agreement for Employment and Health Related Services framework (CAEHRS) for contracts under the new Restart scheme has commenced. The scheme will give Universal Credit claimants who have been out of work for at least 12 months individually tailored support to find jobs in their local area. Bidders in Cornwall will need to show how they will tailor their offer to local conditions in the South West Contract Package Area (CPA) and work closely with employers, local government and other service providers to identify skills gaps and growth sectors and complement the wider landscape of support. The Restart programme has invited the Local Government Association, Core Cities Group, the LEP Network, and the Combined Authorities to help coordinate input from local partners into the design of the tender question for each CPA, and to provide nominees for involvement in bid assessment. DWP expects contracts to be awarded in Spring 2021, which go live in Summer 2021.
Education
· The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson launched an independent review on Friday 15 January 2021 to investigate children’s social care. Over a third of children who have left care (39%) are not in education, employment or training, compared to 13% of all 19-21-year-olds and just 13% progressed to Higher Education by age 19 compared to 43% of all other pupils. The review will be chaired by Josh MacAlister, a teaching graduate of the government’s Teach First initiative in 2009 and founder of the charity Frontline in 2013. The Local Government Chronicle have questioned the independence of Mr MacAlister reporting that Frontline received £45 million in 2019 from the government for its programmes and is chaired by Camilla Cavendish, a former advisor to David Cameron who last year led a review of adult social care for the Department of Health & Social Care, adding that Mr MacAlister has “no relevant experience or background professionally or personally in children’s social care”.
Environment
· A map showing the river catchments polluted by abandoned metal mines in Cornwall and Devon, including where measures are in place to manage this pollution was published by the Coal Authority. This map shows the rivers in Cornwall and Devon that are polluted by at least one metal, which includes cadmium, lead, zinc, copper, nickel, arsenic and iron, due to abandoned metal mines. Black triangles show abandoned mine waste sites that are causing serious environmental harm.
· A Cambridge engineering firm CVE, specialising in clean energy, is part of a consortium of organisations that have won an InnovateUK grant worth £15 million to dramatically reduce the installation costs of the world’s largest offshore wind farm in the North Sea. CVE has adapted its latest high-tech welding technology to reduce the fabrication time and cost of the wind turbine foundations by up to 25%
Equality and diversity
· The Department of Health and Social Care have announced a major reform of the Mental Health Act in a white paper which aims to tackle the racial disparities in mental health services, better meet the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism and ensure appropriate care for people with serious mental illness within the criminal justice system”.
· A survey into the effects of the coronavirus on voluntary community sector organisations operating in Cornwall has found 88% of responding organisations had seen a drop in income, in conjunction with a 48% increase in outgoings and a 61% increase in demand for their services. Respondents reported that the most pressing needs in the community include mental health and isolation, poverty (food and fuel) and digital exclusion. 10% of responding organisations stated that their financial future was uncertain, or they were unlikely to survive the next financial quarter.
· The Government Equalities Office reports a 7% increase in the understanding of the gender pay gap regulations in 2019 with 89% of employers saying they had a good understanding. 23% of organisations report complying with gender pay gap regulations is a high priority.
Housing
· The Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick MP announced plans on Saturday 16 January 2021 to reform the ‘Right to Contest’ under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. The new proposals called the ‘Right to Regenerate’ would make the sale of unused Council-owned land the default position, unless there were compelling reasons not to and make it easier for members of the public to challenge councils and other public organisations to sell vacant plots of land and derelict buildings that had been kept too long without being used or had no clear plans for use in the near future. The proposals would also apply to unused publicly owned social housing and garages. The Secretary of State will act as an arbiter to ensure fairness and speedy outcomes in all cases. The proposals have the support of the National Community Land Trust Network and Civic Voice and are now open for consultation until the 13 March 2021.
· The Guardian reports Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rough Sleeping & Housing Kelly Tolhurst has resigned following ‘devasting’ family news.
Consultations and Campaigns
· The Home Office are seeking your views on enhanced security for particularly powerful rifles, introducing licensing controls on miniature rifle ranges, and tougher controls on ammunition. Deadline 16 February 2021.
· The Home Office are seeking your views to help inform the development of the government’s next Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. They are particularly keen to hear from people who may feel underrepresented in previous strategies or who feel their circumstances were not supported by existing services. Deadline 19 February 2021.
· The HM Treasury are consulting on how the UK regulatory framework for financial services needs to adapt to our new position outside the EU. Deadline 19 February 2021.
· The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are seeking views on how the industry is approaching the financing and deployment of renewable technologies, and how this may change in the future. Deadline 22 February 2021.
· The Department for Education are seeking views on the revised standards for boarding schools and residential special schools in England. Deadline 23 February 2021.
