Here in Somerset, the reality of the impact of the
Coronavirus is now beginning to hit home. At local government level significant
challenges are being faced to ensure that where possible it is ‘business as
usual’. We are fortunate in that the vast majority of the population are
compliant with the safety measures being put in place, and in general there is
a good understanding and appreciation of the pressure under which key workers
are operating.
After an initial pause, as leaders put in place emergency measures,
scheduled meetings look all set to go ahead, using technology such as Zoom to
enable ‘virtual’ meetings to be held. As I am in self-imposed isolation, I have
participated in several of these sessions this week. It has been interesting to
see how well most of us have been able to adapt to new ways of working, mainly
from our homes.
What has occurred to me though is that I feel there is now
no going back to how we have traditionally operated; in many ways this is a
really positive outcome. My fuel bills are now almost non-existent, and I
relish not having to drive for hours on end either for work or to attend
meetings. I predict a sharp fall in road traffic accidents, and shopping is now
a relaxed unhurried activity. Am I imagining it, or does the air seem cleaner
too?
One key consideration as we will all have to do our bit to
meet the enormous bill for handling this crisis, is that we should see a
significant drop in elected members’ expense claims. During the last year the
combined total for Somerset County Council and South Somerset District Council
was in the region of £75,000, and this does not include claims made by officers
in carrying out their duties. Perhaps now will also be the time to consider
whether or not we still need to operate out of costly office buildings.
Of course, there are any number of services, which by their
very nature will remain dependent upon face-to-face contact, but this situation
has demonstrated that much of what we do can now be very effectively handled by
telephone or email.
Whilst working from home clearly has its benefits, we must
be careful not to erode that all important distinction between work and home
life. Those of us who have the space to be able to work in a separate area of
our homes are fortunate, but I am concerned about the impact on family life for
those living in cramped spaces with others. There is also the issue of
confidentiality.
In addition to this, those who are not technologically
competent, who do not have access to the necessary tools and are often in a
vulnerable situation, will be further disenfranchised from life at large,
resulting in social isolation and exclusion. This is the real challenge we
face, but if the kindness and thoughtful activities that this dreadful virus
have spawned can instil in us that sense of collective regard for others then
there is hope for a different, and better, future.
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