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Agenda and minutes
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Contact: Chantal Lass tel: 01424 451483 email: class@hastings.gov.uk
Items No. Item Minutes and matters arising PDF 252 KB
10:10
Minutes:
The minutes were accepted as an accurate record.
Outstanding actions:
· Establishment of Task and Finish Groups – this action will be kept open as responses are still required from partners. Action: ALL
· Community impact of COVID-19 – links to Hastings specific research will be circulated. Action: Steve
Declarations of Interest
10:05
Minutes:
None received.
COVID-19 updates
10:35
Public Health update
Darrell Gale, Director of Public Health, East Sussex
Vaccination programme update
Candice Miller, Assistant Head of Health, Wellbeing and Partnerships
Minutes:
Public Health update
Darrell Gale, Director of Public Health gave a presentation where he explained the patterns and trends in cases from January to February, testing and positivity rates across East Sussex and the impacts on the area and the health care trust. A copy of his presentation will be circulated with the minutes of the meeting.
Concerns were raised as Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school staff have already received letters from the NHS offering vaccinations. There needs to be consistency and the same support needs to be offered to mainstream schools and colleges. Darrell agreed to take this up with colleagues.
Vaccination programme update
Candice Miller, Assistant Head of Health, Wellbeing and Partnerships at NHS East Sussex CCG gave an update:
· To date, 550,000 vaccinations have been delivered across Sussex, including 535,000 first doses
· Majority of those in the first four priority groups have either been fully vaccinated or received the first dose vaccination
· 72.3% of those in priority group 5 (All those 65-69 years of age) have received the first dose vaccination
· There is one primary care network serving Hastings and St. Leonards, operating from Kings Church Centre and over 17,000 vaccinations have been given since the programme began
· There are seven hospital hub vaccination centres across Sussex including the Conquest Hospital
· Three pharmacy-led services are running in East Sussex, including Laycocks Pharmacy in Ore. Each county has a large vaccination centre, which is the Welcome Building in Eastbourne. In addition, there is a roving service which is taken into care homes and resident’s homes for those
· Any questions about the programme can be directed to sxccg@publicinvolvement@nhs.net
· The most up to date information on the programme can be found at the following links:
https://www.sussexhealthandcare.uk/keepsussexsafe/sussex-covid-19-vaccination-programme/
Hastings Local Plan update
10:15
Kerry Culbert, Planning Policy Manager, HBC
Minutes:
Kerry Culbert, Planning Policy Manager gave a presentation on the Local Plan. She explained the purpose and context of the Local Plan, the underpinning evidence, policies and strategies and the next steps for the draft plan.
The council is currently updating its plan and the current draft is currently out for consultation, which partners are encouraged to respond to. Information can be found at: https://www.hastings.gov.uk/planning/policy/new-local-plan/introduction/
A copy of the presentation will be circulated with the minutes of the meeting.
Hastings Town Deal - Town Investment Plan and next steps
11:10
Carole Dixon, Co-chair, Hastings Town Deal Board
Minutes:
Carole Dixon, Co-chair of the Hastings Town Deal Board gave an update:
· The Town Investment Plan has been submitted. It is hoped the outcome of the submission will be known on 31st March
· The formation of the Town Deal Board will be considered in the near future following the outcome of the submission
· The vision, 12 challenges for the town, the 4 challenges that the Town Investment Plan is focused on, and the project prioritisation and engagement processes were explained
· The projects within the Town Investment Plan were summarised
· More detail can be found on the Hastings Town Deal blog
Post EU arrangements - impact and local update
11:30
Sean Dennis, Director, Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce
Kevin Boorman, Marketing and Major Projects Manager, HBC
Minutes:
Sean Dennis, Director, Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce reported that:
· The movement into Brexit has not been as problematic as predicted, although there have been a few isolated cases with specific concerns, including a wholesaler/importer which is possibly looking at ceasing trading
· The other key issue that is known is around freight, which there are two aspects to: 1) the increasing cost of containers and physically importing product into the country, and 2) the time taking for product to come into the country, which does not seem to be restricted solely to the EU
· Reports are being received that the new paperwork processes and procedures are causing difficulties and delays in transporting products to and from the EU, although this also seems to be happening globally. Often there are 2-3 week delays in products arriving in the country. It is hoped these constraints will improve over time
· Feedback received from local businesses is still mainly around the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown and it is hoped that there will be more announcements regarding support to businesses in the Chancellor’s budget statement on Wednesday
Kevin Boorman, Marketing and Major Projects Manager at HBC added that:
· There were concerns at one point that the Kent permit was going to be a major issue, particular with vehicles coming along the south coast, but these did not materialise
· The export of seafood has been a problem in other parts of the country, but not in Hastings. The product is exported from Hastings Fishmarket, via Chapman’s in Rye. Not a single consignment has failed to get through to Europe, thanks to very close working between the fishing fleet, Chapman’s, the council and Rother District Council and which is a really positive story
· Even without COVID-19, there had been concerns about the impact of the exit from the EU. COVID-19 has affected the international tourism market and if the UK is seen to be a COVID-19 hotspot, there will be long term impacts on tourism and its recovery. Around 20% of annual tourism spend comes from overseas and this has been lost this year
· It is hoped events may be able to take place late in the Summer, which is a positive as it was expected that events would not be allowed
· There is still some confusion around accommodation and what can and cannot be done. Most hotels, guesthouses and camping and caravan sites were hoping to be open by Easter, but it now looks like they will not be able to open until May
Marc Turczanski updated that from a client facing perspective, COVID-19 has delayed the impact on the workforce. The points-based system has now come in and anyone arriving in the UK from the EU for work purposes has lost the freedom of movement rights that they had prior to this. The next deadline is the end of June, where the interim arrangements for anybody from the EU who is in the UK will be required to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. ... view the full minutes text for item 6.
Any other business
11:50
Minutes:
· Social distancing campaign – Steve thanked and acknowledged the work of partners on the campaign and the press release will be shared with partners who were encouraged to share this widely
· Census return – Steve advised that support is in place via Hastings Voluntary Action, Seaview Project and the council for those having difficulty in completing the census return. The press release will be shared with partners when it is published
Next Meeting Date
10am, Monday, 7th June 2021
Minutes:
10am, Monday, 7th June 2021
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