Minutes:
The Council received a notice of motion moved by Councillor Helen-Ann Smith (in Councillor Samantha Deakin’s absence) and seconded by Councillor Dave Shaw as follows:-
“This Council wants to put on record its thanks to all the staff of Ashfield District Council for all of their extra hard work, particularly since the start the pandemic.
Ashfield District Council is the only Council in Nottinghamshire to keep refuse collections fully operational through not only the first wave of the pandemic but also the second wave too. Our teams of refuse collectors have gone even further, they have pulled out all the stops by collecting 180 tonnes of extra waste just after Christmas across the District. Not forgetting the 249 addition tonnes collected during the Big Spring Clean and then the Skip into Summer and bag it campaigns. This Council is so proud that despite massive pressures on the team they have stepped up and are soon to be delivering another Big Spring Clean event later this month. We are the only
Council in the Country to actually increase waste services.
The Councils Revenues and Benefits Team have had to absorb an enormous increase in workload. Revenues have dealt with 1,700 businesses and paid out well over 20 million pounds in grants after completing the very complex work involved with each application. After which, Government audits and fraud checks are completed. Benefits have dealt with 700 applications from isolating people which is very complex work, ensuring that these applicants are entitled to the grant. With each lockdown and each change of tier come different sets of regulations making the job extraordinarily complex and this Councils teams have risen to that challenge each time.
Our housing teams have stepped up to the plate by getting the Ashfield homeless community into accommodations and are working with them to keep them off the streets and into permanent homes. The Council used an additional 10 units from its housing stock to accommodate rough sleepers. Often this is a complex task but our teams are up to that task and continue to work with the homeless to enhance their quality of life throughout the pandemic and particularly through the winter months.
The housing repairs team have also risen to the challenges the pandemic has caused. During the first lockdown the law meant they could only deal with emergency repairs, so the team helped with cemetery duties and litter picking. Further to this, the team converted properties to accommodate homeless people, thereby assisting some of the most vulnerable people in Ashfield. Since the first lockdown and through all the various tiers the team has continually worked and worked though some very difficult times including when there were serious shortages in building supplies. The team has also kept up to date with gas boiler servicing, this again has not been easy due to
some tenants isolating and others not wanting people outside of their bubble in their homes – proudly our teams prevailed.
The Councils I.T. team has enabled more employees to work from home than ever before. They have done this by introducing technology that allows better communication between officers and overcoming the dangers of security for distant working. The law states that public meetings must be live streamed, our IT team has mastered the wizardry of live streaming all the public meetings which have always looked professional to our residents. They enabled Ashfield to be the first District Council in the whole Country to hold its Annual General Meeting, remotely.
Our employees in every department of the council have been extraordinary throughout this pandemic, stood up to all the challenges thrown at them and most of all have worked hard for all the people of Ashfield. This motion, though lengthy does not begin to cover the work of the hundreds of staff and managers in the Ashfield family who deserve our sincere thanks and commendations.
This Council therefore resolves:
That it is formally recorded, on behalf of elected members and the residents of Ashfield District - that our staff teams are thanked and that that thanks is communicated to each team.
Ashfields staff are amazing people who have acted selflessly through what has been some of the most difficult months in our Country’s history they are local heroes and have earnt, our sincere thanks and deepest respect.”
Having been fully considered, the motion was put to the vote and it was
RESOLVED
that it is formally recorded, on behalf of Elected Members and the residents of Ashfield District, that our staff teams are thanked, and the message is duly communicated to each team. Ashfield District Council staff are amazing people who have acted selflessly through what has been some of the most difficult months in our Country’s history; they are local heroes and have earnt our sincere thanks and deepest respect.