COUNCIL NEWS
NORTH NORFOLK DISTRICT COUNCIL Message from County & District Councillor Nigel Dixon Covid19 – Local Recovery Issues.While the Lockdown introduction
and rules were quite simple and a clear response to the Covid 19 threat, on 23 Mar, the process of relaxing the rules as part of the recovery phase certainly isn’t simple. Central government has outlined a ‘road map’ of what it plans to happen in England. However, the devolved governments of N Ireland, Scotland and Wales have made different decisions and that makes life doubly difficult if you live near those borders. Fortunately, we don’t but the local interpretation and implementation of that plan and the relaxed rules for Norfolk and North Norfolk is complex enough. Balancing the competing interests of those anxious to protect the more vulnerable population and those anxious to get the local economy opened up, to limit the life changing economic consequences of the Lockdown, is extremely difficult. The 3 layers of local government: County, District and Town/Parish councils are trying to coordinate and work in harmony and consultation to strike acceptable balances over when and how to open up facilities, services and activities. When central government says this or that can be opened up, that’s permission in principle; so for example, each school, shop or service provider has to work out a plan of how that can be done reasonably safely in order to comply with ‘social distancing’ and what mitigation measures are appropriate when it can’t be achieved. Similarly, local councils must apply the same risk assessment process and agree revised operating rules before facilities and services are reopened. There’s no such thing as risk free or absolute safety at any time so all these decisions and preventive measures are judgement calls about what’s reasonable and practicable in the varying specific circumstances. There will be differing views and there’s scope for everyone to either accept and engage or to personally hold back and keep their own enhanced protection measures in place. Those processes will be applied progressively throughout the recovery phase of Covid 19. So, NNDC will decide how and when to reopen public toilets and car parks and how the 80% of its staff (now working from home) will return to the offices and how the town shopping centres and roads can be reconfigured to enable ‘social distancing’ of pedestrian traffic while trying to maintain vehicular traffic access and flow. It’s doing this in consultation with Highways, regarding road or carriageway temporary full or partial closures to give more pedestrian queuing or walking space; and with business forums, regarding how the various shops need to trade; and with Town and Parish councils regarding public open spaces and other facilities which support economic, leisure or other wellbeing activities. It’s highly probable ‘social distancing’ and some other precautionary measures will be necessary for the long term, possibly years, until a safe vaccine is found and applied or until some other infection control measures are found. Whatever the future holds, life will not return to exactly the way it was pre Covid 19; amongst some regrets there will opportunities to make positive and beneficial changes to our lifestyles and quality of life – these may also benefit the environment and wild life that we share our precious world with.
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