With national restrictions being introduced from tomorrow (5 November), Wiltshire Council has confirmed how this will affect their services over the next four weeks.
The majority of council services will continue to run or stay open as normally as possible. They include services such as:
- Social care services
- Revenue and benefits
- Household recycling centres and waste collection
- Car parks – car parking fees will remain but people are advised to only travel if essential
- Public parks
- Street markets will continue with traders only able to sell food
- Allotments
- Registration services can conduct birth registrations and declarations via face-to-face appointments , notices of marriage and civil partnerships via face to face appointments, and death appointments by telephone. Funerals can be held but restricted to 30 mourners
- Some libraries will provide an order and collect service – more details on that soon (any books currently loaned out will be extended for the duration of the restrictions)
- Visitors allowed to main council hubs – but people are advised to only do this if absolutely necessary
- Continuing to support rough sleepers in Wiltshire in the usual way. People can report rough sleepers at StreetLink or via the StreetLink app; this will direct the teams to help people who need it
The following services unfortunately cannot continue while the increased restrictions are in place:
- Wiltshire Council and Places Leisure-run leisure centres will close temporarily – members will have their membership automatically frozen for one month, so any payments due to be processed on 5 November will not be taken. Online content available athttps://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisure-active-communities
- Leisure groups: Active Health, Get Wiltshire Walking, running programme, StreetGames, Healthier Communities, Walking Sports and Ability Sports
- Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. Online content available at http://wshc.eu/
- Weddings
The restrictions, which comes in effect from 00:01 on 5 November, are:
Everyone must stay at home, and may leave only for a limited set of reasons. These include:
- For education;
- For work, if you cannot work from home;
- For exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household, support bubble or on your own with one person from another household;
- For all medical reasons, appointments and to escape injury or harm;
- To shop for food and essentials;
- And to provide care for vulnerable people, or as a volunteer
If people need to leave their home they must wash their hands regularly for 20 seconds, wear face coverings where they need to, socially distance from other people. It is also a legal requirement for people to self-isolate if they are required to do so.
The council’s Wiltshire Wellbeing Hub is still available should anyone need any support, advice or guidance. People can call the hub on 0300 003 4576 or email wellbeinghub@wiltshire.gov.uk Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Cllr Philip Whitehead, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “We run a breadth of services at Wiltshire Council and we are determined that as many of them as possible continue throughout these increased restrictions. People and businesses will rely on us even more during this difficult time so it’s vital we’re there for them providing support, as we have done right throughout the pandemic.
“We hope the services affected will be back up and running as normal very soon and we thank people for their patience. In the meantime, we urge everyone to follow the guidance and play their part, so that we can get through to the other side of this as quickly as possible.”
Up to date advice and service details can be found at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/public-health-coronavirus
Wiltshire Council held a public update webinar on 3 November to provide people with the latest local information on COVID-19. A replay of the update can be found at https://youtu.be/VvaMk4uvc7w
