To consider the report.

Chris Joyce introduced the item to the Panel and said the report was going to Cabinet in September 2020. It covered the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the community, economy, health and unemployment. The positives from COVID-19 included the innovation and collaboration within communities. There was a lack of knowledge about the pandemic, the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on all sectors, and there was a need to have a flexible strategy that could be updated as new information came forth.

The borough had worked in partnership with other local authorities on a regional and countywide level to set up principals to share best practice. The strategic framework was based on three objectives; empowering communities, building lasting relationships with businesses, and building great place to live and work in. Initial actions were set out, but there was a need to be flexible.

The Chairman asked which measure was most important for the Members to focus on in order to generate recovery in the borough. The Panel was informed that working closely with businesses would be helpful, as well as working with partners to create skills and programmes to support the projected rise in unemployment once the furlough scheme was underway. There was a need to re-skill people so they could go back in the workforce in order to reduce the impact on communities and the economy.

The Chairman asked if an assessment was done to evaluate the impact COVID-19 had on the redevelopment of Maidenhead town centre. The Panel was informed there was an economic impact on developers, however there was strong commitment from the developers regarding the housing schemes and Nicholson Town Centre. The Chairman asked if the office space plans were still followed through, or if there were planned to become a housing scheme or smaller flexible office environment. The Panel was informed that it was too soon to know the impact and there was a forecast of a reduced demand for office space.

Councillor Haseler asked how the council encouraged new retail offerings and businesses into the town, as retail spaces may be created but left empty. The Panel was informed that the borough worked with landlord and property owners to identify short-term pop up spaces, and different organisations and events would use to attract people, such as cultural exhibitions. On a longer-term basis, a place marketing strategy was identified which would show how to promote the borough as a place to visit, live and invest in. The area could be sold as a highly connected area with the Great Western railway and the arrival of the Elizabeth line, which would be attractive for businesses looking for satellite office space. Digital campaigns were also rolled out across the social media platforms to attract businesses by working in partnership with current businesses who could help identify the selling points of the borough.

Councillor Haseler asked how the council was going to maintain contact and possibly provide financial support to voluntary community support groups who supported vulnerable residents. The Panel was informed that strategically, the objective was to empower communities. On a short-term basis, Dan Brookman was working closely with group and maintained contact. If there was a need to more back to the response phase, the support groups could step up to help support the response activity. Heads of Services also came together to Asset-Based Community Development, which was about how the services worked closely with community groups and empower them to deliver services.

Councillor Baldwin asked what work needed to be done to build resilience in reserves as part of the Regional Recovery Strategy, with the potentiality of a second wave of COVID-19. The Panel was informed that all councils were reviewing their risk-based assumptions in their medium-term financial plans and make challenging decisions and were not materially affected. Councils were looking radically at the type of operating model for the council in future, the level of resourcing, and the level of income and funding required. The final position of the local authority was unknown until the government funding available for the borough. There was a need to build a significant resource for potential risks moving forward for the uncertain future. The economy had received an unprecedented shock and therefore the projections may not be accurate.

Councillor Baldwin asked if building resources was specific to reserves or other general elements of the plan, and the Panel was informed that it was regarding all the elements. This included the projection for the service levels, costs, key supply chains and what reserve level was required to have a medium-term financial plan in place. Chris Joyce said the strategy was about using current resources on the priorities of the economy.

Councillor Bateson said the villages in the borough had done well during COVID-19 because they were more local and closer to the community and asked what support the businesses in the village would receive. The Panel was informed that a comprehensive business engagement programme was enrolled with small and large businesses across the borough to ensure they thrive. The impact of COVID-19 on the structure of the economy was unclear, with some sectors thriving whilst others that may struggle.

The Vice Chairman asked if business success and failure was being monitored, particularly if there was a new market space that could be supported by the borough to bring resources to the area. The Panel was informed that there was a focus on business engagement across the borough to collect qualitative data, as well as an economic data hub that collated data so the council could direct the actions based on the evidence from the data. There was an online digital community for businesses as part of digital strategy during the pandemic that was being tested as part of increasing business engagement activity.

The Vice Chairman said the movement of chairs in Windsor high street was a concern for some residents who became out of breath whilst walking along the high street. Councillor Clark, Lead Member Transport and Infrastructure, said the issue was raised and the removal was planned to allow enough seats remaining to ensure the social distancing restrictions were not breached. Councillor Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Council, Resident and Leisure Services, HR, IT, Legal, Performance Management and Windsor; Armed Forces Champion, said there were still seven of the ten benches on Peascod Street, and residents were interacted with over Facebook regarding this. Chris Joyce said Milton Keynes shopping centre had signs on the seating area as reserved for people who require them, which is something he and Councillor Clark were in discussion to implement.

The Chairman asked if information was being shared with other local areas regarding social distancing measures. The Panel was informed that the teams sat on several panels, such as The Berkshire Recovery Group and Strategic Recovery Group for Thames Valley. Town Managers sat on forums such as the Berkshire Strategic Transport Forum and other forums to share best practice.

The Panel noted the report.