Agenda item

The Director of Neighbourhood and Environmental Services submits a report providing an update on how parks and open spaces are being managed in line with current Government Covid19 guidelines. Previous updates were presented to HCLS Scrutiny Commission on the 22nd September 2020, 16th July 2020 and 25th January 2021. For the purpose of the scrutiny commission this includes Parks and Bereavement Services.

The Director of Neighbourhood and Environmental Service submitted a report which provided an update on how parks and open spaces were being managed in line with current Government Covid19 guidelines and included an update on Parks and Bereavement Services. Commission Members were asked to note the contents of the report and make any comments to the Director or Executive if they so wished.

The Deputy City Mayor introduced the report. It was noted that regular Member briefings had taken place over the course of the pandemic, and that open spaces and parks had been managed in line with government guidelines

The presenting Officers informed the meeting that:

·         The Roadmap to recovery had four key steps and dates.

·         Step One on 29 March saw outdoor gatherings of up to six people or two households introduced. In terms of the rule changes for parks, it made it more difficult to challenge the large groups as it could not be checked if they were from the same household.

·         Additional security staff had been brought in to support park wardens. Static security staff would maintain a presence in some parks during warmer weather to let people know that compliance was still being monitored.

·         Various sports and fitness activities would continue to be opened, with governing bodies determining timeframes for organised sports.

·         Trials of football/basketball (MUGA) courts opening would continue and be closely monitored. It was reported that throughout the pandemic there had been some regular non-compliance incidents, particularly in Spinney Hill Park and Victoria Park, with people gaining unauthorised access.

·         Working from home guidance had been adopted and would continue where possible.

·         Step Two on 12 April saw the opening of retail and facilities. It was noted that the use of outdoor gyms remained high.

·         Pets Corner on Abbey Park had remained closed due to an announced bird flu epidemic but had been declared safe to reopen.

·         Summer events were being planned, for example, Funfair (Covid permitting).

·         Step Three planned no earlier than 17 May would see groups of 30 people being allowed to meet outdoors, and large group performances / sporting events to resume.

·         An impact on parks was likely, particularly during nicer weather, and there would be ongoing work in partnership to address larger gatherings over 30 that failed with requests to socially distance.

·         Leicester volunteering Group sessions were looking to resume around this period.

·         All ball courts would reopen by this date and be monitored for a maximum of 30 people.

·         Partnership working with the Police remained consistent. The Police were following the four ‘Es’ – Engage. Explain. Encourage. Enforce. The Police had worked well with larger gatherings and responding to request and had supported Parks well. Some fines had been given for non-Covid compliance.

·         The site closure process remained the same.

·         For Bereavement Services, there had not been much change in the service with the Government Roadmap, with funerals still restricted to 30 people, and commemorative events still with restricted numbers.

·         A graph displayed the impact of Covid19 on Bereavement Services, with April 2020 seeing the first wave peak. The second wave peak was not as big, but longer and most sustained, with a larger number of deaths recorded from November 2020 through the winter period. Numbers were now beginning to return to more normal levels.

·         Webcasting had been introduced at the crematorium to allow people to allow bereaved families to view a service and would remain a permanent installation.

Members of the Commission noted the report, and Officers responded to queries as follows:

·         When restrictions were lifted on 21 June it would provide even less clarity for the number of people allowed at a funeral based on premises size and social distancing guidelines at the time.

·         It was queried why the death rate peaked higher in April 2020 than during the winter of 2020/21. It was explained that the peak in April 2020 followed on from the first lockdown, when the majority of those that died would have already been infected with Covid and not being tested prior to lockdown. Moving on to the 2020/21 winter period, testing was more widespread and better treatments were involved. Also, with people locked down, it assisted with keeping the death rate down, though the prolonged second wave meant there were more numbers of deaths overall.

·         One of the big events in the city from an African heritage point of view was the Carnival. The Deputy City Mayor assured the Commission Members that communication lines remained open with the organiser, but with the present situation it did not look as if big gatherings would be possible. Councillor Cole placed on record his offer of assistance to ensure clear and easy communication between the Council and Carnival organisers. It was not currently known if the carnival event organisers intended to hold an event.

·         The situation would be kept under review and all festival and events organisers had been written to, to clarify what they wanted to deliver in 2021.

·         A press release had been made that the Riverside Festival would not be taking place in June.

·         It was noted the Government was holding test events, and guidance was awaited on what could be done.

·         A decision had been made by the organisers of Mela that they were not going to proceed with the event for 2021.

The Chair believed it was too soon for events to be staged and more focus should be on essential services and facilities staying open. With safety first advice should be taken from the Public Health Director and Government Guidelines followed.

AGREED:

1.    The Commission noted the report.

2.    Councillor Cole to be kept informed of communication with the Carnival event organisers.