New Ashfield Covid recovery committee to help district 'come out of this stronger'

The Ashfield District Council committee will be scrutinising the council’s response to the lockdown, advising on plans in case of a second wave of coronavirus and will be looking to provide additional support to residents and businesses across the district.

At the inaugural meeting, councillors heard the latest update on the response to the emergency, particularly the help and support given to the district’s most vulnerable residents and approach to boosting the local economy.

Councillor David Hennigan, the new ‘Covid-19 Response and Recovery Scrutiny Panel’ chairman, said: “We are so proud of the way residents in Ashfield have responded during this pandemic so far.

"I look forward to this committee playing a leading role in the fightback in our district.

" Despite the easing of lockdown, Covid-19 remains a big part of our lives and is still prevalent in our communities. The virus hasn’t gone away.

"This committee will help develop the strategies to support a successful recovery for our economy. Our main focus will be on supporting residents and ensuring we have robust and safe outbreak control plans."

Councillor Jim Blagden, Ashfield Independent member and vice-chairman of the committee, said: “I would like to put on record my thanks to the council staff and volunteers across our district. They have been wonderful.

"This panel will be vital and ensure residents’ voices are heard – right at the heart of this council.

"There’s no doubt that the council did a lot of things very well during the lockdown. This includes being the only council in the county to continue to provide full bin collections throughout.

"Our job as a committee will be to evaluate what we did well and how we can improve in case of a second wave or a local lockdown.”

The committee will also look at how the council can improve support for small businesses and town centres.

Councillor Blagden added: “We want to ensure that our district comes out of this stronger – and this committee will kickstart the fightback.”