New group to steer us into a 'new' future

Date Published: 04 August 2020

​A new group has been set up to help steer the wider Council through Coronavirus (Covid-19) and beyond into the ‘new’ future. 

Called the Adaptive Services Board, or ASB, it is a forum where projects or activities which have stopped throughout the pandemic can be scrutinised to consider if and when they should restart and how. Things that were possible or important before Covid-19 may not be sustainable in the “new normal” especially in light of the financial crisis being faced. The gro​up considers proposals from across the Council to restart services, restart them differently, or continue to have them on hold. 

 
The Board consists of two Heads of Service from each directorate, together with an Area Manager and a Partnership Manager from the Health and Social Care Partnership. The Board is chaired by the Head of Legal and Governance.  

 
But, what do they see and consider? 

 
You should put a paper to the ASB before you: 

Re-start, change or stop a Council project which is partly or wholly Council funded. 
Re-start, adapt, or stop a service which changed or was paused throughout COVID. 
Agree to fund or to withdraw funding from an external body. 

 
You should also put a paper to the board if the activity is predominantly customer-facing, politically sensitive, or if changing the way you deliver that service could have reputational risk. 

 
(You don’t need to go to the ASB with capital projects which are already underway or council housing projects). 

 
The ASB may support your proposal, forward it on to SLT for further consideration who may in turn request discussion with the Recovery Reference Group, made up of elected members and senior officers. 

 
Further guidance on the ASB together with the template for reports can be found here. The first step should be a discussion with your Head of Service, who will be able to help you navigate the process. If you have any questions, please ask a member of the Governance Team in Legal and Governance. The Board meets twice a week, so urgent decisions can be taken with pace. 

 
The below flow chart has been created to help walk you through the process. 

 
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