Below is a brief summary as to what my role is during the Corona Virus emergency, as well as full details of the Local Government Association Guide (LGA).
Councils are category one responders under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which sets out the legislative framework for responding to emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak. As part of the local resilience forum (LRF), councils work with local partner organisations to plan and activate their emergency responses, and there are established officer led processes for leading the strategic (gold), tactical (silver) and operational (bronze) responses to emergencies under the 2004 Act. Each council will have its own arrangements for ensuring that the authority’s political leadership is appropriately linked into this structure.
Councillors’ role within this context is to provide vital local leadership, rather than to become involved in the operational response led by officers.
Ward councillors will be among the people who know their areas best and have an important role to play by:
• acting as a bridge between councils and communities
• amplifying consistent messaging through disseminating council and government information
• identifying local vulnerabilities, particularly local residents, but also businesses, and feeding this intelligence back into councils
• working with local voluntary sector groups to provide support and advice for local communities
• providing reassurance and facilitating support for local residents.
Full LGA Guidelines:
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