Annex 3 – Council Plan Outcomes – Actions Update
1. Whilst response to the pandemic has been a crucial priority for the council since March 2020 work has nevertheless continued to deliver improvements in the city across Council Plan outcomes. Good progress has been made as shown in the summary below.
Well paid jobs and an inclusive economy
2. Whilst work to develop a new Economic Strategy continues, the timetable has been extended to accommodate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and a report is expected at Executive in autumn 2021.
3. A significant amount of activity around financial inclusion (FI) has been prioritised to respond to the pandemic both in terms of meeting immediate needs of residents and planning for recovery. The FI policy review will be progressed through 2021 taking stock of the new Covid and economic landscape and recovery plans. The Digital Inclusion element of the emerging priorities has moved forward with Explore York taking leadership in partnership with the Council and the development of a cross city/sector network.
4. Officers are currently reviewing the recently published Green Paper aimed to encourage the opening up of public contracts to more small businesses and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery to help meet net-zero carbon targets.
5. Whilst a Government White Paper on English Devolution is expected during 2021 the Council continues to work across the region to secure devolution to support economic recovery and growth. Executive have agreed a set of devolution ‘Asks’ to submit to Government. The council also supports the effective reform of two-tier local authority areas and has clearly set out its case for York to remain as a unitary council on the existing footprint. It sees the proposals put forward by North Yorkshire County Council as the most effective way to support delivery of a devolution deal.
6. A lease to the University of York for small business office space in Guildhall was agreed by Executive in November. Build of Guildhall autumn 2021 completion and work on York Central commencing early 2021.
Getting around sustainably
7. While the national transport picture has changed owing to the pandemic, York remains well placed with its proposals.
8. Haxby station is a case in point with New Station programme entry work progressing with the Department for Transport and Network Rail.
9. Similarly, the roll out of York’s electric vehicle charging point network is expected at scale in the first half of 2021, including the Hyperhub facilities, while the Clean Air Zone programme is complete with monitoring ongoing.
10. The Reserved Matters Application to deliver key infrastructure for the York Central site was approved in November 2020 and Government has awarded £77m for work commencing on the site in early 2021.
11. Progress also continues to moving the Council fleet to low/zero carbon vehicles although Brexit impacts are to be considered by manufacturers in early 2021.
12. Finally, looking further ahead, a cross cutting consultation approach is being taken across a number of projects, including the Local Transport Plan and Economic Strategy, to ensure a coherent approach and prevent duplication and confusion regarding consultation and competing priorities.
Good Health and Wellbeing
13. The public health response to Covid-19 has been, and continues to be, absolutely critical to the work of the council.
14. Alongside extensive activity to tackle the pandemic, the Council has continued to progress work to protect the most vulnerable in society and embed the ‘Good Help’ principles in service delivery.
15. The Mental Health Accommodation with Support programme has been approved and this work is now in progress.
16. The council has contributed to a system wide bid for mental health transformation funding, which will enable the partnership to make faster progress towards our shared vision for services.
17. The learning disability partnership has worked with partners to consult people about their access to digital technology and to hear about their experience of the pandemic.
18. York's ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) model has supported people and communities to remain resilient during the pandemic, ensuring that people stay connected and have trusted relationships at a time of crisis. The work of the council's volunteer management team has actively contributed to this alongside community hub arrangements and work with York CVS and wider VCSE.
19. The care home at Burnholme is now completed and the first residents will be welcomed in the New Year. The work at Lincoln Court and Marjorie Waite Court (see below) provide welcome improvements to the choice in and quality of specialist needs housing.
A Better Start for Children and Young People
20. A Children’s Social Care ‘front door’ review took place in September 2020 to ensure effective and safe decision making, the findings of the review were very positive. The Improvement Board continues to meet and offer peer challenge.
21. A prospectus of local support for Covid catch up has been developed and published. Work with schools in the spring term will support their use of the local prospectus. The 14-16 vocational programme developed with York College was due to commence January 2021, but this will now be delayed until restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so.
22. The recently formed Skills and Employment Board brings together expertise from across the city and strengthens our partnership approach to understanding and responding to the changing skills needs of people and businesses.
23. York Mind has been commissioned by the council to deliver the Department of Education Wellbeing for Education return programme. The School Wellbeing workers continue to provide support to develop capacity in schools. The number of children and young people medically unfit for school has risen during 2020 which has increased pressure on the home tuition service. Work is taking place with the Clinical Commissioning Group to identify priorities for future joint commissioning.
24. The Cultural Strategy was launched on 3 December through a virtual event with Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England as keynote speaker. It will be formally adopted by the council in February. Work continues to take place with the York Cultural Education Partnership. A workshop will take place in February 2021 to refocus the CEP and develop a cultural education strategy. During the national lockdown the partnership produced ‘Bags of Creativity’ and ‘Creative Doodle’ books to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
A Greener and Cleaner City
25. The Climate Change Policy and Scrutiny Committee continues to meet and the new Head of Climate Reduction is now in post leading the development of a Climate Change Policy which will include a decarbonisation Action Plan for the council’s own operation and the city. A York Climate Commission is being established to promote leadership in the city on climate change and to encourage action.
26. Waste collections remain affected by Covid in terms of operational delivery. The review of recycling and collection methodology will be presented to Executive later this year.
27. All procurement by the council now include environmental measures. Work will begin to refresh the Procurement Strategy in early 2021.
28. Executive Members have received updates on the flood review from 2020 and the lessons learnt from a largely successful response. We continue to work closely with the Environment Agency on all aspects of the York Five Year Flood Plan and work continues and a number of flood management schemes.
Creating Homes and World-class infrastructure
29. Some key milestones have been reached on a number of key infrastructure projects. The Community Stadium was completed and handed to the operators in December 2020. Initial infrastructure work will start on the York Central site in early 2021 following the approval of the reserved matters planning application and work on the Guildhall is due for completion in autumn 2021. The Castle Mills planning application was approved in December 2020.
30. To support the Housing Delivery Programme construction work is progressing well at Lowfield Green where 40% of the homes will be affordable and the first shared ownership and social rent homes will be complete and ready for occupation in March 2021. Six self-build plots at Lowfield have been sold and are now in the design/planning stage. A further phase of homes including apartments for the over 55 and family houses will be complete and occupied during the summer. Planning applications have been submitted at Burnholme and Duncombe Barracks which includes 40% affordable housing. A budget to deliver these projects has been agreed by Executive and works to procure a building contractor will commence in the coming weeks. Social rent council bungalows have been completed and are occupied at Newbury Avenue.
31. The planning applications at Burnholme and Duncombe Barracks reflect the ambitions of the Council’s Housing Delivery Design Manual (‘Building Better Places’). These will deliver over 220 homes which will be to certified Passivhaus Standards and net zero carbon in use. In addition the developments promote sustainable transport choices by creating connections through the site, by the provision of very high quality and quantity of cycle parking and by restricting car parking spaces to only those needed. The homes meet national space standards and each has access to private as well as public outdoor space. Streets have been designed to create community togetherness with opportunities for play and communal plant/food growing.
32. All planned capital programme works for the Council’s own homes is up and running again following a five month Covid interruption. The council is currently reviewing impacts on programme progress and identifying any adjustments needed to future programmes to ensure ‘Decent Homes’ targets are hit. A new electrical testing contract to support the in-house team will be in place for April 2021.
33. A budget of £1m was agreed to retrofit energy efficiency measures for the first phase of 60 Council owned homes, with work starting in summer 2021 to improve their energy efficiency to an EPC C rating. Alongside this a longer term approach to retrofit more homes over the medium and longer term will be developed to improve the quality of residents’ lives, tackle fuel poverty and contribute to the city achieving carbon neutral status.
34. The delivery of specialist housing is proceeding well. The project at Lincoln Court is now complete which has seen the refurbishment of 20 apartments and the provision of 15 new fully wheelchair accessible apartments for social rent. The extension of Marjorie Waite Court is going well with work to create 33 additional homes, due for completion in 2021. The Executive have approved the procurement of an extra care development on the Lowfield Green site, and procurement is currently in hand.
35. The programme also continues to work with developers to ensure the provision of age appropriate accommodation in major developments. Four extra care developers have either submitted planning applications or are in pre application discussions with planning officers. The programme is working with these to secure properties for social rent, nominations agreements to properties or Section 106 affordable housing contributions.
36. As part of the Covid response additional capacity has been procured to try and ensure that people are not sleeping rough. This consisted of accommodation at city centre apartments and hotels which were further utilised to ensure social distancing could occur at our existing accommodation centres.
37. Improving digital connectivity continues across a number of projects. The expansion of the private sector funded fibre network infrastructure is progressing within the city including some infill areas and discussions are in hand to determine where the next areas of investment should be. Building on the success of the Shambles Project in 2019, Swinegate Court East is now one of many areas in the city centre that will benefit from the fastest connectivity around. This network is being extended to cover Swinegate, Stonegate, Petergate, Grape Lane, Church Street and Goodramgate – giving us the scope to connect up to around 250 businesses through the Digital Enterprise programme connectivity voucher scheme. We are working with a supplier to deliver a full-fibre network on both Fossgate & Walmgate which would give up to 200 premises the option to access full fibre broadband by mid-2021. Work is nearly complete on the new wi-fi service for the Shambles Market businesses and traders – improving card payments and customer experience throughout the market.
38. Work has continued to extend IoT/LoRaWAN (Internet of Things/Long Range Wide Area Network) coverage across the city to provide another key wireless access layer for the Council’s and City’s Smart solutions. We now have 13 gateways in place that provides almost city wide coverage. We have begun a significant project to improve the connectivity within Wheldrake & Elvington funded through Building Digital UK’s (BDUK’s) Rural Connectivity Voucher Scheme. Further marketing will take place over the next 4-6 weeks which will involve more community engagement.
Safe Communities and culture for all
39. Better Care Funding has continued to support the Ways to Wellbeing element of social prescribing, ensuring the maximum cover for the city, over and above the Primary Care Network link workers. Ways to Wellbeing are funded to distribute small grants to groups which build local capacity and volunteering. This has been supplemented by additional funding from the Clinical Commissioning Group during the winter period, as part of our shared partnership approach.
40. Multi-agency groups have continued through virtual platforms to deliver against the priorities within Safer York Partnership's three year strategy. Focus has remained on supporting those most vulnerable communities and victims of crime and anti-social behaviour. The closure and slow reopening of the courts due to Covid put a lot of enforcement activity on hold. However, partners have continued to develop innovative ways to work together and resolve those issues which impact most significantly on quality of life and personal safety.
41. The library development programme is progressing plans for the various libraries with consultation on Acomb Explore to begin in the New Year.
42. A new Equalities Impact Assessment is in development, soon to be finalised and embedded into the council's decision making process.
43. The five emergency response hubs at Acomb, Tang Hall, Haxby, Clifton and Micklegate have amplified even more the benefits of council staff and local groups and organisations working together with common objectives. Over the coming months, the Community Hubs will continue to play an increasing role in supporting local residents, especially those whose jobs have been lost or are at risk.
An open and effective Council
44. The health and wellbeing of staff is a priority for the Council. Throughout the pandemic, the Council has signposted support available and has undertaken health and wellbeing surveys to better understand the requirements of staff.
45. The Council has published its draft 2021-22 Budget proposals in the context of the financial pressures caused by the pandemic. The public consultation finishes on 31 January 2021 with Executive Member decision sessions taking place in the early January.
46. The draft Budget includes a one off revenue investment of £2.5m to create a Covid-19 Recovery Fund. This will ensure that the Council can continue to fund crucial services for local residents and businesses during the pandemic.
47. Work continues to embed social value into our procurement process as does the delivery of the Council’s digital programme including mobilisation of the workforce to support remote and home working.
48. Work to update the Council’s constitution continues and will report to Executive in due course.