Brighton and Hove City Council has postponed two meetings and are expected to follow.
The Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, which was due to take place at Hove Town Hall today (Tuesday 17 March), had a mammoth agenda packed with decisions to be made and questions from councillors and the public.
One of the decisions to be made was whether to subsidise the Brighton bike share operator Hourbike.
Others were about a strategy for tackling graffiti and a plan to boost cycling and walking.
The meeting was cancelled after the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, Robert Jenrick, announced late yesterday (Monday 16 March) reductions in “non-essential” tasks at local government level to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (covid-19).
The announcement came too late for the council to make alternative arrangements for remote meetings as suggested by the government.
Arrangements are under way to reschedule the meeting and find an alternative way to host it.
The second meeting to be scrapped was the council’s Health, Overview and Scrutiny Committee which had been due to take place tomorrow (Wednesday 18 March).
At the moment the council’s Policy and Resources Committee is still due to meet on Thursday (19 March).
The decisions on the agenda including spending on building work at local schools and on council-owned buildings and transport plans.
Next week the council had a meetings schedule that included two licensing panels, the council’s Planning Committee, the Health and Wellbeing Board and a standards panel.
The week after the Planning Committee was due to meet again as well as the full council.
Mr Jenrick called on the council to focus on social care, supporting the vulnerable and the local economy.
He officially announced all local elections that had been due to take place in May this year would now take place in May 2021.
The contest to become the Sussex police and crime commissioner was the only election due to take place in Brighton and Hove.
Inspections by the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted inspections are suspended and FOI requests cut or delayed.
The council has asked Brighton and Hove schools to cancel trips, swimming classes and parents’ meetings.
What about Planning next Monday? I am due to speak there on… the fate of Hove.
I’d imagine that will be postponed as well.
There’s bigger issues at the moment and perhaps the council could do more to help residents whose finances have been impacted by Covid-19 – perhaps by deferring the increase in council tax.
BTW – does your definition of Hove (actually) extend to Portslade (unfortunately)?
be careful about council officers and councillors taking decisions under emergency powers: democracy can be undermined.
Seeing pictures in other countries of police fining people for not staying at home is disturbing.