Decision details

On 22 September the Prime Minister announced that £60 million will be made available across the police and local authorities for COVID-19 related compliance and enforcement activities. Of this £60 million, £30 million is being allocated to local authorities for four months.
Doncaster Council’s allocation is £195,174. The funding made available is ring fenced for any activity which will support compliance and enforcement of measures to support public health measures, including social distancing, to control the spread of COVID-19 across individuals, businesses and in the community

The decision is to accept Doncaster’s allocation of the Local Authority Compliance and Enforcement Grant of £195,174 (also referred to as ‘surge enforcement funding’) in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules E9-E13 – External Funding.
The funds will be used in full over the next four months on additional staffing and associated resources required for a Covid-19 marshals model, which will bolster existing resources to support compliance and enforcement within the Borough.

Establish a model of support beyond the funding available - the funding awarded for four months appears to sufficiently reflect the additional requirement, however this will be
monitored. If more marshals are needed within the 4 month period a further decision will be required and additional funding will need to be identified.

Establish a model of support below the amount of funding available – the grant is ringfenced and must be used for compliance and enforcement activities. The Council will maximise the use of the grant funding which supports a model which does not appear to exceed requirements.

Establish a model to be put in place for a period greater than 4 months – the funding is for four months which covers the Christmas and after-Christmas sales period when activity and footfall is expected to be higher. It is not expected that the same level of support will be required in late February/March, however the situation will be reviewed taking into account local infection rates and whether additional support is required. An extension beyond four months will require a further decision and funding will need to be identified