Coronavirus costs in East Renfrewshire ‘significantly exceeds’ funding support

Almost £1m has been awarded to East Renfrewshire Council from the Scottish Government’s £50m hardship fund and council chiefs expect around £3m from the £155m Barnett consequentials now being shared out to local authorities.

Around £890,000 has been received from the Scottish Government for use by East Renfrewshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).

But a report reveals “the extra pressures faced by the council” are expected to rise beyond these funding allocations.

Additional costs, a reduction in income streams and the response to the pandemic “will also prevent some planned 2020/21 savings from being implemented”.

Councillors agreed a budget in February which plugged a deficit of around £17m. A report on the financial impact of the pandemic on the council is expected to be tabled at a meeting on June 24.

At budget time, the authority revealed almost £210m was to be spent on capital plans over the next 10 years, including nearly £25m on six nurseries.

Construction work has been suspended during lockdown and council officers are working with industry partners on when work will restart.

The council remains committed to almost doubling the amount of free childcare available to families from August.

The report by the authority’s Chief Executive Lorraine McMillan sets out the council’s response to the pandemic and the impact on its resources.

Ms McMillan said: “Whilst these have been very challenging times for the council, our staff have been exceptional.

“Many have worked significant extended hours to make sure residents are safe and well. Others have volunteered to go wherever they are needed.

“Some staff have children to care for and are managing to juggle the various demands of home learning with carrying out their job.”

She added the work of care staff “must be particularly commended”.

The care home sector has been badly hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

Ms McMillan’s report states the authority “put in place enhanced support to our care homes from the start of the pandemic” and has daily contact with managers to discuss the issues they are facing.

The council bought 16 beds in two care homes to “meet anticipated demand” and has used three so far. A spokesman said none of the residents were placed from hospital and all were tested, and found to be negative for Covid-19, before being admitted.

East Renfrewshire’s HSCP has been at the “front line” in the response to the outbreak and recently established a testing team to “undertake enhanced outbreak investigation in all care homes where there are cases of Covid-19”.

All consenting residents and staff will be tested whether or not they have symptoms.

A Community Assessment Centre for people concerned about Covid-19 symptoms has been set up in Eastwood Health and Care Centre for those referred by NHS 24. It has been seeing an average of 10 patients per day.

The HSCP has a centralised PPE store to ensure priority for front line services. In the week beginning April 27, 7460 masks, 7200 gloves and 1700 aprons were distributed to staff.

Between 250 to 300 children have been attending hub schools while a “minimum of 86 per cent” of all pupils have been engaging with weekly digital learning, the report states.

Approximately 1350 parcels are being distributed on a weekly basis to those who would normally qualify for free school meals.

By May 12, the council had received 786 applications for the Scottish Government’s Business Grants Scheme, with payments totalling more than £7m.

The Customer Services team has been providing support via phone, e-mail and livechat, with the use of livechat increasing by 168 per cent based on volumes from April last year.

The Money Advice and Rights Team, which offers welfare rights and debt advice, has seen enquiries increase by 45 per cent for April this year when compared to the previous year.

In an update to the East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure board on April 29, it was revealed 85 per cent of staff had been furloughed, with 70 workers registered as volunteers.

The pandemic left the council’s environment department facing an “extremely challenging staffing situation” when, on March 30, the department had 155 staff – around 30 percent of the department – unable to work.

In late March, the council purchased more digging equipment to meet an increased demand in burials. It was one of six authorities, led by Glasgow City Council, to set up a mortuary in Hillington to be used if NHS capacity was exceeded.