Issue - items at meetings - Covid-19 Recovery & Renewal Update

Report of the Executive Director Economy, Environment & Culture

RESOLVED: That the Sub-Committee -

(i)             Noted the work being done to help businesses mitigate the economic impact of Covid 19, and the use of funds from the Additional Restrictions Grant to provide targeted business support through the Business & Intellectual Property Centre Sussex (see Section 3.8.6 of this report for details);

(ii)            Noted the progress updates in this report.

17.1    The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director Economy, Environment & Culture which provided an update on the progress of the Covid-19 Recovery & Renewal Programme.

17.2    Members were advised that paragraph 3.9.6 stated that ‘£10,878,798.37 of Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funds have been awarded to 5,651 businesses’, and it was clarified that was an error and whilst 5,651 grants had been awarded some of the businesses may have received two grants.

17.3     Councillor Appich referred to the Customer Experience Strategy and asked officers to ensure that no one was digitally excluded. TheExecutive Director Economy, Environment & Culture agreed that it was important to ensure that services were available to everyone and the report set out work which was being undertaken to do that.

17.4    Councillor Clare noted that there were staff shortages at the Brighton Centre and asked what the impact on that was and what was being done to recruit. The Executive Director Economy, Environment & Culture said that a full programme of events was still being provided. Recruitment agencies had been contacted and agency staff were being used when necessary.

17.5    The Chair wanted to understand what impact the pandemic had had on the delivery of Council services and what was being done to mitigate any issues and asked if an audit on that had been done. The Executive Director Economy, Environment & Culture said that all areas had business continuity plans in place, but overall services were being managed.

17.6    RESOLVED: That the Sub-Committee -

(i)             Noted the work being done to help businesses mitigate the economic impact of Covid 19, and the use of funds from the Additional Restrictions Grant to provide targeted business support through the Business & Intellectual Property Centre Sussex (see Section 3.8.6 of this report for details);

(ii)            Noted the progress updates in this report.