Dorset Council cabinet and committee meetings held between now and the end of September will take place informally and online, due to increasing Covid-19 rates across Dorset.
The latest figures record that in Dorset there were 261 Covid cases per 100,000 and 522 per 100,000 in the BCP area. Local hospitals have also reported increasing numbers of Covid patients in intensive care.
Therefore, the council will continue to hold virtual informal meetings via Microsoft Team Live Events with cabinet and committee members expressing a ‘minded to’ view and officers taking decisions under delegated authority.
Dorset Council Leader, Cllr Spencer Flower, said:
“While we do want to be able to get back to conducting council meetings in person, we have duty of care to our members, employees and any members of the public who often take part. With cases of Covid-19 increasing as they are, we feel it would be safer to continue with virtual informal meetings for the next couple of months and then review the situation again in mid-September.”
Tuesday’s (27 July) cabinet meeting will now be an informal meeting held online via Microsoft Teams.
YOU ARE A DISGRACE. WHILST DUSTBIN OPERATORS E.C T GIVE US A PROPER SERVICE MOST OF YOU DO NOT. TRYING TO PHONE YOU LOT UP AND TOGET MESSAGE WE ARE NOT TAKING ANY MORE CALLS IS A DISGRACE. TRYING TO GET A REPLY ABOUT A LARGE HARDSTANDING BEING BUILT NEXT DOOR TO ME (OVER THREE TIMES PERMITTED) AFTER TRYING FOR HOURS I WANDER HOW MANY EXTENSIONS E.C.T HAVE BEEN BUILT WITHOUT YOU LOT ACTUALLY LOOKING AT THEM. I BELIEVE WAGE SHOULD BE CUT AND ALL THOSE THAT WORK FROM HOME SHOULD NOT EXPECT GETTING FOOD DELIVERED,SEE A PLUMBER OR ELECTRICIAN, SCHOOLS BE OPEN FOR THEIR CHILDREN AND THEY SHOULD BE KEPT AT THEIR DESKS ALL DAY (MONITORED), NOT AS I HAVE HEARD TAKE DAYS OF TO GO TO THE BEACH, I AND OTHERS MIGHT BE BLE TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE THEN.
While we’re sorry that you’re having trouble getting the information you need, it’s not accurate to suggest that our working from home arrangements are related to this issue. Employees are now working in the exact capacity as before the pandemic, simply from a different location. The idea that working from home somehow equates to working less or not at all is both unfair and upsetting for those who are continuing to carry out their roles under difficult circumstances. E-mails are working as before, phones are being redirected to employee’s homes, meetings are continuing online. Most importantly to note, workloads have actually increased for most staff (especially in Planning) due to the pandemic and resulting increase in applications, which has happened all across the country.