City went into ‘battle mode’ as it fought pandemic
When you are responsible for running the News council at the beating heart of a city and a pandemic strikes, swift and effective response is paramount. But what happens when staff shortages bite, people have to work from home and everyday services such as
TRYING to source PPE, making sure there were enough staff to man the waste lorries and sourcing additional freezer capacity in the event of a rising death toll were a few of the early challenges awaiting chief executive Paul Simpson and his team in the initial weeks of the first lockdown.
Saving jobs and businesses and trying to keep the city’s economy on track for the future have also been among the “relentless” wave of challenges that have swept through the council for the past year and show no real signs of abating.
Life as we know it came to a rapid halt 12 months ago today when the country was ordered to literally shut up shop - if it was a non-food store anyway - and stay at home.
For many of us, it meant re-organising our lives, not seeing family and friends and generally feeling quite scared of what the future would hold emotionally, socially and financially.
But imagine if you are responsible for making sure that as far as possible, Derby and its 259,000 residents still receive the normal services such as rubbish collection, social care, leisure facilities, bereavement services and street cleaning and also the 3,000 or so staff who help to make these things happen.
That was the daunting task facing the newly appointed Mr Simpson, who heard the Government lockdown announcement along with millions of other people.
He began to realise the enormity of the task facing him, officers and councillors – at that stage for an unspecified amount of time.
Mr Simpson had been acting chief executive for a couple of months after the departure of Carole Mills in January and had his interview and confirmation he had the role a few days before lockdown on March 20.
He said: “Earlier that week, all the council directors had met together in a kind of war room situation in the council chamber and effectively invoked our emergency planning arrangements. But unlike a flooding emergency, which has a start and finish point, the pandemic has been relentless and it just keeps going. It has been 12 months of challenges.
“We set up a series of tasks that needed to be done and appointed a bronze, silver and gold command structure. My first 100 days in the job were a deluge of responding to the pandemic. It was a baptism of fire – a constant hamster wheel of challenges.”
Mr Simpson said the council needed to liaise with Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire police and health to make sure they weren’t overlapping. The pandemic has also meant the council working closely with other organisations.
A “mission critical” situation according to Mr Simpson, who said that partnerships with everyone such as in business and health, “meant the city council was not having to do everything or be seen to be doing things to people, but instead working with people playing their part in a team”.
He said: “I guess we got into a battle rhythm. We had to make some pretty quick decisions about the council, its functions and all the while the Government was issuing advice, information and funding.
“As a result, we have paid £60 million in direct grants to 5,000 businesses in the past 12 months and there has been £45 million in business rate relief.
“That has involved 10 different council teams working together to administer nine different Government Covid support schemes and we estimate that at least 15,000 jobs in the city were protected as a result.”
As well as looking after public services, council staff were also a priority for Mr Simpson.
He said: “Engagement with staff has been very important. Technology has allowed us to reach greater numbers of staff than we would have been able to do in the past. Regular briefings for staff, so they are kept fully informed, have been vital and everyone has been playing their part and some have been deployed into other council services to help.
“Through the lockdowns, we have kept the vast majority of services open and the only ones we have had to stop have been those requiring the public to attend such as libraries, sports centres, gyms and public entertainment.
“Our parks were a lifeline for people, especially as the spring gave way to the summer last year. People could access green space and people have appreciated that and so we are looking to see how much we can bring green and blue space into the city centre for people to enjoy looking to the future.
“Council teams went above and beyond the call of duty and we are very grateful for all they have done.
“There came a point where we did not have enough staff because of self-isolation and illness, to cover all the rubbish collections and some of our other staff, whose jobs could not be done, stepped up and trained to do the job. It was the same with the bereavement service, staff crossed over to different roles to ensure we had continuity.”
Mr Simpson said there had been an amazing response from the public and from staff alike.
He said: “There was no blueprint, no road map. We had to make it up as we went along and adapt and I am proud to show that we proved we could do it and work at pace.
“In the early days, people from all walks of life were frightened. For example, our bin crews suddenly had to stop getting into a cab with fellow workers they had known for years and instead we had to hire support vehicles for them to travel in to their rounds.
“How social care workers would be able to go into homes and how we would distribute food parcels were among the first things we needed to sort. PPE for care workers was a massive problem to begin with.
“And at the same time we had to get our staff out of the Council House. I remember quite early on visiting the Stores Road depot to see how people were managing and to
The role played by Dr Robyn Dewis, head of public health, was invaluable and her links with the NHS absolutely crucial throughout all of this Paul Simpson
thank them for their efforts.
“We were constantly on calls to all kinds of organisations and agencies and also Government ministers. Looking back, the past 12 months have been a huge, huge undertaking.
“From day one, we were first out of the blocks and have achieved some things that I would never have imagined possible previously.
“The role played by Dr Robyn Dewis, head of public health, was invaluable and her links with the NHS absolutely crucial throughout all of this.”
Derby was quick to respond on many things not least the Eat Out to Help Out scheme last August, when the Market Place became an openair eatery – something that will happen again this year and expand as the lockdown lifts over the next couple of months, according to Mr Poulter.
He said: “We were also the first authority to get our homeless and rough sleepers into hotels - a model that was followed across the rest of the country.
“Also there was benefit from the council linking up with the NHS in many ways. One of these was the increased efficiency in moving people out of hospital who had completed their treatment. Instead of languishing for days waiting to leave, a new system ensures they can leave within hours via a new discharge lounge that has been set up at the Royal Derby Hospital.
“Every service we provide had to be adapted and contingency planning came into play such as sourcing extra freezer capacity in case the death toll from Covid rose excessively. Thankfully, we never needed it.”
But he said that there would still be a number of things to overcome such as the repercussions of increased domestic violence and mental health problems among young people.
Mr Poulter said: “Looking ahead, the Government still needs to decide what it is doing about the future of council meetings, which in the past year have been held virtually.
“But the legislation that allows that runs out on May 7, with nothing to replace it. Currently, we cannot meet with more than 25 people in the Council chamber socially distanced. So the AGM and mayormaking ceremony cannot take place there at the end of May - it will have to move elsewhere.
“Last year, it took until July to get all 51 councillors competent and equipped to be able to attend the AGM virtually from home so we have proved we can do it - we just need the Government to allow us to do so.”
Mr Poulter said that IT had played a big part in the council being able to carry on from remote settings.
He said: “I remember one morning attending virtual meetings in Birmingham, Leeds and London something I could not have done previously.
“But although a useful tool, there is no replacement from meeting people face-to-face and being able to shake hands with them.
“Council staff have told us they miss being in the office and having a curry together after work on a Friday”, which I am sure many people can identify with.”
Mr Simpson is the first to admit that there was little time for reflection at the height of the first lockdown. And even now he says that until all vaccinations are completed and proven to be effective, the work to make sure city council functions continue and Derby’s recovery is still ongoing.
He added: “I hesitate to get carried away and assume all will be back to normal overnight. The pandemic and its fall-out are far from over.”
As chief executive, Mr Simpson faces the challenge of eventually getting everyone back to work at the Council House, he acknowledges that some people will want to carry on working from home, at least some of the time.
He said: “I have to keep a weathereye on the local economy - up to 3,000 people working in the city centre brings an additional boost to the economy as they shop, travel and eat there on a daily basis.
“But overall, I am incredibly proud of the work that everyone has done to keep Derby safe and to come through this pandemic in much better shape than many other areas.
“The public played a massive part in that and making sure they heeded the hands, face, space message.
“I was incredibly proud to get my job and proud to lead a team that has reacted so well to everything that has been thrown at them.”