Council switches gears to combat COVID-19
Friday, 3 April 2020
We're re-focussing our resources and staff to help respond to the extraordinary demands created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In these unprecedented times, our objectives are stark: to preserve lives, support the vulnerable and protect livelihoods.
We're particularly helping those who are most vulnerable and who do not have the support of family, friends or others in the community. Where residents need help because they do not have access to these sources of support, they can contact us online, or on 0300 300 8900.
Pending the mobilisation of a national scheme, we've been arranging for emergency food supplies to those residents most at risk from grave consequences from the virus because of their underlying health conditions, and who have no-one who can shop for them.
Because we’re not living in normal times, we've had to take decisions to suspend some non-essential services such as the green waste and bulky waste collections, in order to focus resources on much more critical services like black bin collections.
Residents can stay up to date with changes to our services and can sign up for automatic email alerts for when updates are made online.
Council Leader, Councillor James Jamieson, said:
We are having to respond very rapidly to these extraordinary times.
This is the health emergency of our lifetimes and we’re mobilising every resource we have as a council. It’s an enormous effort and all of our staff have responded magnificently, as you’d expect.
Staff from across the council are packing and delivering food parcels for the clinically vulnerable who must be shielded from the coronavirus while our adult services are working with the NHS to smooth and speed up discharges from hospital.But it is also time for us as community to step up too. There are lots of ways people can volunteer and help others. If people are unsure how they can get involved there is information on our website, or they can contact us through the website, and we’ll channel them to the organisations who will be able to make the best use of their talents and experience.
We should also rally around as neighbours If anyone is worried about their neighbour, if they are vulnerable because they are elderly for example, and don’t have access to friends and family to help them then let us know.
And please do follow the advice on social distancing and stay at home wherever possible.
If you are concerned for a neighbour, let us know online or, if its urgent, call us on 0300 300 8900; this helpline is open 7 days a week (9am until 4pm at the weekends).