Published: Friday, March 20, 2020
I’d like to reassure the residents of Wandsworth that we are continuing to work hard to keep people safe and maintain vital services.
Staff in our children’s services department have been working with our schools this week to ensure plans are put in place to ensure vulnerable children and the children of key workers can continue to attend.
We have had to take some hard decisions, including closing our libraries and leisure centres and our children’s centres. This was done with a heavy heart, but our priority is to follow national guidelines and keep you safe.
We know that many of you face financial hardship, so while the crisis continues we will not initiate any action against people who fall behind with council tax or rent payments. When it is over, we will work sympathetically with people to get them back on track. We'll also be working to support our local businesses during this difficult time, including pubs and restaurants.
We will continue to put our emergency plans into action to make sure that we continue to deliver our services with a particular focus on making sure our most vulnerable residents are supported, including older and vulnerable residents and families.
These plans will be reviewed and updated as the situation develops.
We are also working with partner organisations as well as those in the local voluntary sector to understand what support they might need and how we can best work with our communities to provide it. We would urge you to get in touch with your local community groups to volunteer, or get in touch with us. We will be working with key groups, including Age UK Wandsworth, to match you up with tasks such as walking dogs or collecting shopping.
We know that many of you will be looking for advice and will also want to help vulnerable people in the community, so please continue to look for updates on the council website, social media accounts and the Brightside Online newsletter.
Meanwhile we would ask you to do your bit by following the current Government guidance.
- Avoid non-essential contact
- Anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days
- If you have symptoms and live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home
- Vulnerable people should self-isolate for 12 weeks
