Essex County Council has received funding from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) to support costs associated with ongoing public health and outbreak management costs of tackling COVID.
The COVID pandemic has continued to provide challenges to Essex communities, particularly impacting vulnerable residents, and increasing the number of people seeking help, advice, and support locally. Throughout the pandemic Local Community Hubs have provided the first point of contact to residents, without family and neighbour help.
This support has ensured communities have stayed connected, been able to self-isolate as required and provided first line support to residents in need. This has helped residents remain safe by being able to access direct support, including access to local volunteer assistance, and to access wider support, as required, though effective signposting and referral.
SCOPE
Tendring District Council is to be allocated £90,000 of funding to support the Community Hub offer to enable it to continue to provide the locally focussed support to vulnerable residents, as it has done throughout the pandemic. An additional funding pot of £10,000 has also been allocated to Tendring District Council in May 2021.
This funding is provided to enable Community Hubs to continue to offer the support required locally to contain the further spread of COVID-19 by providing a valuable lifeline to residents and underpinning the wider system, enabling residents to self-isolate as required and to access the support and advice they require to remain safe therefore contributing to the containment of COVID-19.
Funding is to support the continuation of the Community Hub offer until the 31st March 2022.
DELIVERABLES
Funding can be used to extend current offers of support or develop new activities to respond to emerging needs of vulnerable residents in response to the pandemic and focussed on containing the further spread of COVID-19.

Following consultation and agreement with the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder (Partnerships) to accept the COMF funding and the provision of Covid support via the Community Hub and with partners across the voluntary sector until March 2022.

Option 1 - Not to accept the funding, which would lead to the closure of the Community Hub providing Shielding support to the most vulnerable residents and also ceasing all activity relating to Track and Trace which could potentially lead to increased Covid infection rates in the Tendirng District.
Option 2 - To accept the funding and continue with the provision of Shielding support and Track and Trace via the Community Hub and with partners such as CVST and other voluntary sector groups.
Option 3 -