Councils including Milton Keynes have been given unprecedented power to stop the spread of coronavirus in their areas.
These include being able to close or restrict access to premises, to ban events from taking place and restrict access to, or shut outdoor places.
This week, the council-run health and wellbeing board is set to receive an update on plans to control the virus, should there be a Luton or Bedford-style increase in the rate of infection.
A report to the board reveals that responsibility for ordering action lies with the council’s chief executive, Michael Bracey. The council will not need to apply to a magistrate to close premises.
The top paid employee at MK Council with a salary around £180,000 Mr Bracey qualified as a youth worker in 1995 and joined the council in 2009.
He worked his way up to becoming the head of all children’s services and adult social services and was appointed chief executive in October 2018. Councillors at meetings have described him as calm and clear headed.
Mr Bracey’s decision making number two is deputy chief executive, Tracey Aldworth, who joined the council in September 2019 from Aylesbury Vale Council where she was corporate director.
Having worked at Aylesbury for more than 20 years, she came to MK to support across a range of services including planning.
Also having a key role in the process is the council’s departing director of public health, Muriel Scott. Either Mr Bracey or Ms Aldworth must consider her advice before taking action.
She is a nurse by training who began in acute hospital care. But she developed her passion for public health after visiting Bangladesh to set up a community health and development programme.
The council officers also must consult with the council’s elected leader, Cllr Pete Marland (Lab, Wolverton). He was first elected to one of the three Wolverton seat in May 2011 and held it comfortably in the poll in May 2019.
Born in Lancashire and a supporter of Premier League Champions Liverpool FC, where he started work while studying for a politics degree. He moved to MK in 2007 and lives in the city.
Mr Bracey may also – if time permits – consult with ward councillors, or tell them as soon as the decision is made.
But in some cases a council decision may be considered to be so urgently needed that it can be taken without consulting ward councillors.
If the government orders the council to make a decision, or refer an order, it just has to carry it out as “a simple response to the requirement”
Enforcement will be decided between the police and the council.
Government advice to the council says the “overarching aim is to empower local decision-makers to act at the earliest stage for local incidents, and ensure swift national support is readily accessible where needed.”
But the Government says it expects these powers to be “used with discretion.”
Wednesday afternoon’s meeting of the health and wellbeing board is also set to approve the council’s local outbreak plan.
