Covid Control Plan: Keeping the city moving

Throughout the pandemic we, and our partners, have prioritised and refocussed our resources to support the city and region.

Redeploying our workforce

In the council alone we have deployed over 450 staff from their ‘day jobs’ to support the delivery of key essential council services or to support delivery of the Welfare and Wellbeing Team, vaccine programme, community testing and acting as City Hosts.

As would be expected, our Public Health team have been at the centre of the response. The Director of Public Health implemented an emergency re-structure which included welfare and wellbeing, contact training, outbreak management, public health guidance team and public health intelligence.

COVID funding

Grant funding has been provided to local authorities throughout the pandemic to support outbreak response and support for self-isolation. To date, Newcastle has received and committed £2.2million Test and Trace Support Grant and £7million Contain Outbreak Management Fund. 

In addition to these two major streams of funding support, we have received and fully committed

• Local Authority Emergency Assistance Grant - £0.425 million allocated to support people who are struggling to afford food and other essentials due to COVID-19.
• Local Authority Community Testing Funding Grant – £1.008m allocated to support Community Testing.
• Funding for Community Champions to give COVID-19 vaccine advice and boost take-up - £0.311m
• Funding for Local Authorities to support Clinically Extremely Vulnerable individuals – recurring funding allocated in tranches, to date totalling £0.3 million. 

We have also received funds that continue to be allocated:

• Funding for Local Authorities to support Clinically Extremely Vulnerable individuals - £0.31m – approximately half allocated to date
• Local Authority Test and Trace Outbreak Surge Funding (Community Hubs) - £0.3m – approximately two thirds so far allocated