Issue - meetings

To consider any Notices of Motion that have been received in accordance with the Council Procedure Rules.

Consideration was given to the following Notice of Motion which had been submitted in accordance with the Council’s Procedural Rules.

Motion 1      From Exceptional Weather Events to Securing Telecare Services: Meeting the Challenges presented by the Analogue to Digital Upgrade by 2027

Proposed by Councillor J Clowes and Seconded by Councillor A Kolker

“At December’s Full Council Meeting, a question was raised regarding the loss of power and digital communications for significant periods during Storm Darragh on the 6th – 9th December 2024.

Whilst many areas experienced power outages, they were most extreme in more rural and remote areas of the borough.

It highlighted that analogue landlines that had already been converted to digital systems failed as soon as the power failed. Mobile phone batteries failed a short time into the power outages which in some cases lasted 2 – 3 days.

These areas are also more vulnerable to intermittent power outages caused by aging and vulnerable power infrastructure, by digital “black spots”, poor reception and slower broadband speeds.

Nonetheless, the national digital upgrade continues apace and is due to be completed during 2027.

Whilst the Council Leader and Chairs of relevant committees acknowledged these problems at the December Council Meeting and identified potential strategies to address them, a more formal, multi-agency approach is urgently required, to bring these forward in the limited time-frame available.

 The Government has now recognised this issue in relation to telecare services. “…old landlines are still vital lifelines for very many people, including users of telecare, and it is crucial that we take people through the digital phone switchover safely. Upwards of 2 million people in the UK use telecare - the most common example being personal alarm pendants or buttons that many of us have seen family members use - and most of these telecare devices have historically relied on the analogue landline network”.

“Telecare users have been identified as being at risk during the digital phone switchover, with past serious incidents underscoring the importance of safeguarding these individuals”. (DHSC: 11.02.2025)

Working collaboratively and closely with stakeholders from across the telecommunications and adult social care sectors, a new Telecare National Action Plan was launched on 11th February 2025.

“Helping people to stay independent in their own homes, joining up services and improving the quality of care is essential to the future of Social Care. Technology enabled care (TEC) plays an important part in achieving this. The action plan sets out our vision for how to transition telecare provision into a modern, digital and resilient part of adult social care. The migration to digital telephone networks will lay the foundations for a next generation of telecare services so that care is personalised and preventative. “(DHSC: 11.02.2025)

This approach is not just a national requirement but is a necessity for Cheshire East Council, if it is to take control of social care expenditure and bring spiralling care costs under control.

It is therefore proposed that this Council moves:

1.             To implement  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90