-
ePetition details
Covid-19 Council working party
We the undersigned petition the council to We the undersigned petition the Council to set up a Working Party to collect information from other councils and wider sources of information and to bring together the work of the different Council Committees on how to facilitate the economic and social recovery of the Borough from COVID-19.Our gratitude should be expressed to all medical and social care staff, Council staff and other key workers as well as Parish councils and community groups and NGOs, sometimes voluntarily providing support going far beyond any reasonable demand that could be made of them.
The COVID-19 epidemic presents the greatest challenge to the local economy and social fabric for over a century. The Bank of England has predicted the largest annual contraction in UK GDP for more than three centuries.
The epidemic has affected most parts of the population of the United Kingdom as well as many other countries. The challenge of recovery from the epidemic is unprecedented and requires a strong focus on the most efficient, coordinated and socially beneficial actions to ensure the best results for Hastings and Rye. Achieving the best results for the Borough will require action in most areas of Council policy.
The challenges include: a predicted 14 per cent fall in GDP affecting everyone in different ways and likely to have a harder impact on those already suffering from deprivation; the particular vulnerability of the leisure sector and businesses dependent on tourism; the need to increase the value attributed to the medical and social care sectors; and the importance of continuing to tackle climate change with any regeneration.
A coordinated approach within the Council will be likely to produce the best results alongside the active collection of information and ideas on how others are working to regenerate the economy in ways that respect other major policies, such as climate change, and ensure maximum social cohesion.
The creation of the working party should be seen as a first step in the response to the crisis. The working party should draw input from and involve all political parties, representatives of business, social services and NGOs. It could start, amongst other actions, by surveying the impact of the crisis on, and outlook for, the various existing Council policies, business and social sectors. Environmentally friendly increased public transport to replace private vehicle use, building more affordable social housing, supporting the tourist and fishing sectors might figure among key issues.
This ePetition ran from 26/05/2020 to 09/07/2020 and has now finished.
21 people signed this ePetition.
-
My council
Contact
Got a question about democratic services?
Content
The content on this page is the responsibility of our Democratic Services team.