Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 6^th October, 2021 were agreed as a true record.

Further to Minute 29 headed ‘Coventry as a Marmot City – Update Report’, the Committee noted that:

·  Health Inequalities and guidance had been added to the briefing note template

·  The One Coventry Plan refresh had been included in the Committee’s work programme

·  Open Spaces Supplementary Planning Guidance was to be considered by the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) at their meeting on 15th December 2021

·  School readiness will be considered at the next meeting of the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) on 9th December 2021

·  The Committee’s thanks were passed onto the parks staff, including via an intranet article.

Briefing note of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing

Councillors K Caan and G Hayre, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item

The Committee considered a briefing note and presentation of Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing which informed about the Coventry Health and Wellbeing Strategy Refresh and provided an opportunity for Members to make any recommendations or comments as part of the engagement process. Councillors Caan and Hayre, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport and Councillor M Mutton, Cabinet Member for Adult Services attended the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The report indicated that the current Health and Wellbeing Strategy was approved in 2019, following consultation and engagement with key stakeholders and members of the public. As part of the development of the Strategy, it was agreed that the short-term priorities would be reviewed and refreshed every 12 to 18 months to ensure that these still reflected the key issues and challenges facing Coventry residents. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the city and residents and the proposed changes within the health and social care system had further strengthened the need to refresh the Health and Well-being Strategy to ensure that the priorities contained within it remained relevant. The current short term priorities were:

•  Loneliness and social isolation

•  Young people’s mental health and well-being

•  Working differently with our communities.

A stocktake of key outcomes and learning from the current Strategy had been undertaken, the details of which were set out in an Appendix to the report. The report summarised progress and key outcomes with the three short term priorities. In relation to loneliness and social isolation, partners had set up a number of initiatives over the last 18 months to tackle this issue.  Health and care partners had worked together during this time to make significant changes in order to adapt the emotional well-being and mental health offer to ensure children and young people’s needs were met during the Covid-19 pandemic including improved access to support and increasing the digital offer available.

Partners had also worked closely with communities to minimise the impact of Covid-19 and co-ordinate the response to the pandemic, with the aim of protecting and supporting vulnerable residents.

There were a number of lessons learnt from these three priorities:

·  Profile and commitment - Board partners had raised their profile and galvanised commitment to work in partnership specifically to address children and young people’s mental health and well-being, work differently with communities and reduce social isolation and loneliness.

·  Population Health model - the King’s Fund population health model had been helpful in mobilising partners around each of the four pillars and highlighted the roles that different organisations could play in delivering the strategy priorities.

·  Stronger partnership working - Across the three priorities, clear benefits had been realised through new collaborations both with organisations that may not historically have recognised their role in contributing to health and wellbeing outcomes, but also directly with communities themselves, with communities playing an equal and trusted part in the city’s response to the pandemic.

·  Demonstrating impact – due to the pandemic,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

Briefing note of the Director of Business Investment and Culture

Councillor G Duggins, Cabinet Member for Policy and Leadership and Councillor J O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item

The Board considered a briefing note of the Director of Business Investment and Culture concerning the impact that the UK’s withdrawal (“Brexit”) from the European Union (EU) has had on the local economy in Coventry.  This included the impact on local businesses and important sectors of the local economy and the labour market, and also the Council’s response in working with local business support partners to help businesses adapt to new trading regulations and conditions.

The report indicated that the UK EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement was agreed on 24 December 2020 and formally signed on 30 December. The main implications of this Agreement for businesses were that since 1 January 2021, the UK had not been a member of the Single Market and Customs Union, although there were zero tariffs or quotas on goods traded between the UK and EU that meet the “rules of origin” (material from the UK or EU or processing within the UK or EU).  However, all goods exported or imported between the UK and EU now required customs declarations and an EORI (Economic Operator Registration Identification) number. Full border checks on customs declarations and controls for goods imported into the UK were to be introduced on 1 January 2022 and product checks on food and animal products imported into the UK were due to be introduced on 1 July 2022. The position for services remained more complex.

The briefing note highlighted the key challenge in attributing the impacts of the UK’s exit from the EU was the Covid-19 pandemic which brought significant restrictions and closures to many parts of the UK economy from March 2020, soon after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Many of the market trends, performance trends and challenges that had affected businesses and the economy since this date had been due to both the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic and the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had forecast that the UK economy would return to Quarter 4 2019 levels by Quarter 1 2022, although no regional breakdowns of the recovery trajectory were provided. The OBR report for the 2021 Autumn Budget forecast that UK GDP would be 4% lower in the longer-term as a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, driven significantly by 15% falls in both export and import activity. The report also forecast that the Covid 19 pandemic would lead to a 2% longer-term drop in GDP. It was noted that these forecasts did not specify time periods nor variations by regions or sectors.

The briefing note referred to recent data from WM REDI (West Midlands - Region Economic and Development Institute) that had emphasised the impact of the drop in trading activity in the West Midlands. Recent surveys had shown that 1 in 4 West Midlands businesses were still exporting less than normal and 1 in 5 importing less than normal.

Local business support and economic development partners were reporting a range of common challenges that Coventry and Warwickshire businesses  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Committee noted their work programme for the current municipal year.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as a matter of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

The Board placed on record their thanks to Liz Gaulton for all her work during her time as Director of Public Health and Wellbeing for the City and wished her all the best for the future.