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Policy and Intelligence Newsletter - 24 November, 2020

The articles below have been drawn together by the policy and analytical community within the Council.

Covid-19

  • As of 22 November, a total of 3,525 people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have tested positive for Covid-19. Over the last seven days, 407 people in the Duchy have tested positive, at a rate of 71 per 100,000 population: this contrasts with 252 positive tests per 100,000 people across the whole of England. A total of 160 people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have sadly died within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19. (Please note that fatality statistics are provided by Public Health England, and differ from those generated by the Office for National Statistics, which record all instances of Covid-19 being listed on the death certificate, even there is no positive test result.)

 

  • The most recent Government Statistics on NHS Test and Trace (5 - 11 November) show that positive Covid-19 test results continue to rise, with an increase of 11% on the previous week. Turnaround times for in-person swab tests under Pillar 2 (for the general population) remain similar to the previous week, but are longer than they were at the end of June. 69% of in-person test results are now received the following day. 39% of the close contacts of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 were not reached by NHS contact tracers, a very slight improvement on the previous week.

 

  • Analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests that the rapid increase in Covid-19 infections seen between August and November has slowed in recent weeks. Between September and October, 4%-6% of the population had Covid-19 antibodies, suggesting most of the population is still vulnerable to the virus. ONS data also shows that nearly a quarter of young people had had physical contact indoors with somebody not in their household or support bubble. Secondary school-age children are currently the most likely to test positive for Covid-19.

 

  • US biotech company Moderna have announced that early trials of their Covid-19 vaccine suggest 95% effectiveness. However, the trial group was comparatively small, with 95 participants, and further testing will be required. The UK Government has purchased 5m doses, likely to be available no earlier than spring 2021. Oxford University, partnering with AstraZeneca, have announced that their Covid-19 vaccine is up to 90% effective at preventing symptoms, with early indications that it may also stop the spread of the disease. The UK government has purchased 100m doses of the vaccine.

 

  • Large-scale trials of a partly UK-funded Covid-19 vaccine, from pharmaceutical company Janssen, started last week in the UK. 6,000 volunteers will take part over the course of the trial to test safety and efficacy, which is expected to run for 12 months. This is the third potential Covid-19 vaccine to enter clinical trials in the UK.

 

  • An unmanned aerial vehicle consortium has secured Department for Transport funding to deliver PPE and Covid-19 testing kits to communities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. One of the companies involved, Windracers, is supported by Cornwall Innovation - managed by Plymouth University on behalf of Cornwall Council.

 

  • The Director of Public Health England, Dr Susan Hopkins, has suggested that the tiered restriction system will need to be strengthened after the national lockdown ends. Tier 1 restrictions, which applied to Cornwall before November, are said to have had “very little effect”. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson MP, is expected to have made a statement to Parliament on Monday 23 November on changes to the system of tiered regional restrictions which will come back into force after the national lockdown ends on 2 December. Some tiers are likely to include tighter limits, although there may be a relaxation between 22-28 December. (The statement had not been made at time of writing.)

 

  • The House of Lords Public Services Committee has published a report following its Public Services: Lessons from Coronavirus inquiry. The Committee concluded that councils and service providers had put in place “remarkable innovations” to respond rapidly to the pandemic. However, the Committee raised concerns about inequality of access to public services; over-centralised delivery of public services; and a lack of public service provision during the Covid-19 pandemic for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups, as well as members of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; homeless people; and those with complex needs.

 

Brexit

  • The Department for Education has reportedly written to schools, instructing them to stockpile long-life foods, to prepare for “possible changes to their food supply chain” after a no-deal Brexit. The General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, Paul Whiteman, said that there is “almost nothing that any school can meaningfully do to mitigate the effects of Brexit”. 

 

  • Media reports suggest that talks are likely to continue this week by videoconference, with no date set for a resumption of in-person talks after a member of the EU delegation tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

 

Economy

  • The latest HMRC statistics show that 21,800 people in Cornwall were receiving furlough payments on 31 August, out of 226,000 jobs that would be eligible for furlough.

 

  • The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, will provide an update to Parliament on 25 November on the results of his one-year spending review. A special edition of this newsletter will be issued on 26 November with details.

  

Education

  • An Oxford University study has shown that young children suffer increased emotional problems, as well as attention deficits, after a one-month lockdown. Older children have decreased emotional difficulties but greater than usual issues focusing.

 

  • Research by the Local Government Association suggests that more than a million school-aged children in England could be missing out on full-time education. The report highlights a rise in home-schooling (with some councils reporting a 200% increase between September-October this year), and raises concerns that there may be insufficient oversight.

 

  • Details have been published for the Government’s Catch Up Premium to support children following Covid-19 school closures. With some exceptions, schools will receive £80 for each pupil from reception to year 11. Special schools will get £240 for each place for the 2020 to 2021 academic year. A £350m National Tutoring Programme has also been announced.

 

  • In the week to 12 November, 99.6% of state schools across the country were fully open, the same as last week, while attendance in all state schools has dropped to 86.5%, from 89.3% last week. The number of children attending early years settings has risen to 801,000, compared to 754,000 last week. As a snapshot, on 12 November, 64% of state-funded secondary schools and 22% of state-funded primary schools reported that they had one or more pupils self-isolating due to contact with a potential Covid-19 case within the school.

 

Environment

  • The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson MP, has announced plans for a £4bn “Green Industrial Revolution” which could create 250,000 jobs. Proposals include ending the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030; quadrupling the UK’s offshore wind capacity; expanding the use of nuclear power; and increasing the use of hydrogen as a heat source, with a town heated entirely by hydrogen by 2030.

 

Housing

  • The Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick MP, has launched The Charter for Social Housing Residents, a White Paper containing social housing reforms, including greater protection for tenants and a stronger regulator with powers to monitor landlords.

 

Consultations and Campaigns

  • The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has invited evidence on the approach the Government should take to local government funding as part of the 2020 Spending Review. The Committee also seeks views on the impact of another one-year spending review instead of a multi-year settlement, and what the key features of that settlement should be (including for Adult social care as well as financial challenges arising from lost income and local taxes as a result of the pandemic). Deadline 27 November 2020. 

 

  • The Competition and Markets Authority is consulting on proposed updates to its published guidance relating to procedural guidelines on mergers under the Enterprise Act 2002. Deadline 04 December 2020. 

 

  • The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is leading an Independent Faith Engagement Review, examining how the Government should engage with faith groups in England. Deadline 11 December 2020. 

 

  • A collaboration between Government departments is seeking views on a possible total restriction of online advertising for products high in fat, sugar and salt. Deadline 22 December 2020.

 

  • The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is seeking views on proposals around raising energy performance standards for the domestic private rented sector in England and Wales. Deadline 30 December 2020. 

 

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