Coronavirus recovery board to help with return from lockdown
A Highland Council Recovery Board has been established to lead and plan the local authority’s emergence from the coronavirus lockdown and provide strategic coordination for a recovery action plan for council services.
The board will also provide oversight and direction for the council’s partnership with communities and partners to support the Highland Region’s return to wellbeing, prosperity and economic success.
The composition of the board will be on the basis of political balance and it will be chaired by the council’s Depute Leader, Councillor Alasdair Christie, and will also report and make recommendations for the Highland Council to determine the progress.
Early priorities for the board to consider will be restoring council governance to normal, how to safely return the workforce, prioritising of services and a focus on budget and resource, in addition to addressing the wider economic situation.
The council said an agile, flexible workforce is central to recovery and enhanced IT and skills development will be fundamental to moving the council to a ‘new normal’.
Councillor Christie commented: ‘This is perhaps the most difficult, complex and important challenge that the council has ever had to address; the extent of the damage caused by coronavirus in Highland will take us a very long time to recover from.
The board will work with individuals, groups, businesses and partners to ensure we have a dedicated team established to take on board views and ideas, as we set about starting this mammoth task.’
And he added: ‘The assessment of impact on our staff, on partners and on our communities will also be an important part of what guides us in decision making.’
The Recovery Board will present its draft plan and seek ratification at the next meeting of Highland Council, planned for June.