Agenda item

Councillor M. Marshall provided a detailed presentation of the Impact of Heatwaves Task Group and final report details. 

The Short Sharp Review was commissioned by the Board on 12th February 2024 following a Motion submitted by Councillor Marshall to Council on 24th January 2024.  The Motion was in respect of a review of immediate action be taken to educate and equip residents for impending heatwaves made more likely by climate change. The terms of reference were agreed on 22^nd April 2024 with the final the report to be discussed with the Board in July 2024.

The context for the review was the aftermath of the more frequent and intense heatwaves being experienced internationally and in the UK.  Several key lessons were learned nationally from that experience and the review sought to establish how those lessons were being applied locally in the fulfillment of the Council’s statutory duties as well as moral obligation to protect citizens.

As a first-tier responder, the District Council had statutory duties before, during and after civil emergencies. These duties included putting in place emergency plans, warning and informing the public about civil protection, sharing information and cooperating with other responders. They also included implementing business continuity plans and championing business continuity.

Two key lessons learnt nationally from the 2022 heatwaves were the need to firstly improve public information and awareness of the impact of heatwaves and secondly to improve cooperation and coordination between different agencies.

The Council’s statutory duties were partly discharged through the West Mercia Local Resilience Forum which was part of a national network based on police force areas.  They included representatives from Worcestershire County Council (WCC), District Councils, Police, Ambulance and Fire Services, NHS Bodies, The Health and Safety Executive, transport companies and utilities.

Wide-ranging areas of responsibility relating to heatwaves included working with vulnerable residents, especially older adults and children, caring for patients in NHS settings, protecting transport infrastructure, agricultural management, access to working air conditioning, environmental pollution, protecting homeless residents, maintaining water supplies and protecting the public against wildfires. 

During the review the task group learnt in detail about the plans, protocols and command structures of the forum and the traffic light system used to trigger mobilization of any response.  For heatwaves, these warnings trigger temperature thresholds which vary regionally but in the West Midlands a heatwave were defined as three consecutive days on which the daytime temperature exceeds 30 Degrees Celsius during the daytime and 15 Degrees Celsus at nighttime.

During the review, Worcestershire Prepared were established consisting of a range of partner organisations including WCC, District Councils, the NHS, Environment Agency, Police Fire and Rescue Services as well as voluntary partners. Worcestershire Prepared had a specific remit for engagement with local communities through a messaging service plus mobilising resources and perhaps most importantly providing a conduit to sense check on whether these measures were adequate or working.  During the review the task group members were repeatedly reminded that protecting the vulnerable from heatwaves was best achieved through utilities, social care and voluntary organisations.

Bridging the gap between national and regional measures and front-line action on the ground in the local communities were perhaps the area where local councillors could personally have the most impact. Encouraging local businesses to undertake their own risk assessments and develop their own business continuity plans was identified as a particular gap.

During the review the task group were supported extensively by the Council's partner organisation, Applied Resilience, which advised the Council on the discharge of its emergency planning responsibilities.  Applied Resilience were currently undertaking an audit of potential rest centres across Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest which might be required for a variety of civil emergencies but will now include the provision of cooling centres within its scope. The task group was also advised that WCC would be developing print and digital messaging each year to educate and advise residents about preparations for potential heat events.

Because of the fast-changing nature of the challenges and responses the task group’s recommendation was that an annual update be provided to the Board each Spring to assess any further lessons learnt and gauge the Council’s readiness for impending heat events. Rules could and should be set by Central Government but Members based locally were best-placed to enact them and to sound the alarm.

Following the presentation Members thanked Councillor Marshall for the suggestion of the task group and for the detailed report, adding that it was good to know procedures were in place.

Members discussed the essential requirement for specific cooling areas in the District.  Councillor Marshall suggested Members could assist to identify possible cooling centres within their Wards.  He also advised Members that Worcestershire Prepared were specifically designed as an initiative to bridge the gap, providing knowledge at a local level and to provide the specific rules and regulations set nationally and regionally.

On being put to the vote the Impact of Heatwaves Task Group report recommendation was agreed and would be submitted to Cabinet to note at their next meeting in September 2024.

RECOMMENDED that the contents and recommendation of the Impact of Heatwaves Task Group Final report be noted.

RESOLVED that an annual report be provided to the Overview and Scrutiny Board to update any areas of change in respect of the Impact of Heatwaves on the community and any changes in the response to these events be noted.