Blog; 28 July 2023 - Dennis Hall, LLG Bulletin Editor

Councils ‘simply do not understand’ the evidence given by former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Robin Allen KC (representing both the English and Welsh LGA) told the Covid Inquiry on 19 July.

Calling into question Hancock’s evidence, he said. Hancock’s former department had “far more levers” to pull in order to-oversee social care provision than he had suggested in his evidence…

Last month, Mr Hancock told inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett that adult social care was in a “terrible” state of pandemic preparedness, with the Government lacking basic knowledge, including how many care homes were in the UK at the time when the coronavirus struck.

Hancock said that by January 2020, his department – which had responsibility to ensure “adequate oversight” for planning and preparedness for a health emergency – did not have a plan in place to identify how many people were in the care sector.

But the MP said the responsibility for ensuring pandemic preparedness in the sector “formally fell to local authorities” – and while he was accountable through his role as secretary of state for health and social care, he “didn’t have the levers to act”.

On the final day of the module one hearings, (which are focused on resilience and preparedness), Allen said that the LGA profoundly disagreed with Mr Hancock’s comments.

During closing statements Allen told the inquiry: “The LGA simply do not understand the evidence of former Secretary of State for Health, Mr Hancock, who stated that only two councils had plans for pandemic flu; a "suggestion they do not believe to be accurate at all.”

Mr Allen said: “And similarly they believe the department has far more levers to enable it to understand, oversee and to shape social care provision than his evidence suggested.

“To find out the extent of adult social care provision, all he had to do was to speak to the Care Quality Commission with which providers must be registered, or with directors of Adult Social Services, who commission care services.”

In future, Mr Allen said local government should be “at the core of all future resilience planning” and “must be treated as a trusted and equal partner by central government”.

He added: “Local government preparedness has been impacted by austerity but this cannot be allowed to occur again.”

These submissions were made just days after damning evidence from public health officials about the lack of communication from central Government.

Module two hearings, which will focus on core UK decision-making and political governance, are due to take place in October.

Dennis Hall

LLG Bulletin Editor