Cannock car park free for hospital visitors and staff during pandemic

Cannock Chase Council’s cabinet is continuing to make decisions at monthly meetings – despite members being unable to meet in person due the lockdown measures put in place by Government in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Instead of meeting physically, council members are taking part in virtual discussions via online video conferencing.

But since the March cabinet meeting – the final one to be held at the Civic Centre before lockdown – three urgent decisions have had to be made by the authority, cabinet members were told at their latest meeting on April 23.

These decisions involved providing financial support to leisure services provider Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles (IHL), paying fees in advance to waste collection contractor Biffa and suspending charges at the council’s Brunswick Road car park, which is next to Cannock Chase Hospital.

A report to the cabinet meeting said: “Following discussions with the leader, and after seeking assurances from the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, officers suspended the pay and display requirements from March 25, until further notice for NHS workers, hospital visitors and members of the public using the Brunswick Road car park adjacent to the hospital during the Covid-19 outbreak.

“The rationale for this decision was to provide support to NHS workers and members of the public during the coronavirus outbreak.”

In early April, council officers agreed to pay management fees to Biffa one month in advance from April to June, following a letter received from the contractor on March 30.

And cabinet members backed the package of financial assistance agreed to support IHL until the end of June. The social enterprise and charitable trust, which also provides services in Wigan and Selby, has had to close its leisure centres in Rugeley and Cannock as well as cultural venues including the Prince of Wales Theatre for the time being, meaning it is not receiving the income it would normally be getting from ticket sales and activity fees.

Staff have been furloughed – but as part of an agreement with the council many are assisting the authority in delivering essential services to vulnerable residents, including those provided by the new Chase Community Vulnerability Hub set up earlier this month. Some officers from IHL are volunteering their practical and professional skills to assist with community activities, producing a residents’ newsletter and working with the council’s community safety team.

Councillor Christine Mitchell, leader of culture and sport, said: “The council has agreed that it is essential to take positive steps to provide some financial support to IHL during the period of closure to ensure future service delivery and business continuity.

“These services will have an essential role to play to reconnect with communities and bring people together through culture, sport and physical activities once the current lockdown position changes.

“It is therefore more important than ever that the council provides our long term partner with the support they require to mitigate significant financial difficulties and risk during this difficult time.”

The council is facing financial pressures of its own too during the pandemic. In April alone additional spending has cost around £136,000 – but the authority is also set to see its income drop by £149,000 per month due to Covid-19.

Previously the Government has awarded Cannock Chase Council £53,638 emergency funding to cover costs. And on Tuesday, April 28, it was announced that the authority would receive a further £1,003,770 in Government funding.