Woodley Town Council

20/3/2020

The Coronavirus situation globally and nationally is changing daily and as of today, 20 March, Woodley Town Council can provide the following update.

Woodley Town Council has taken steps to ensure the continuity of the following core Council functions:

·       Payroll

·       Payments to suppliers

·       Accounts / end of year submission

·       Council committee business and urgent decisions.

Our priorities are:

·       to keep the Council going

·       to look after our staff teams

·       to keep residents informed

·       to plan for re-launching the leisure and venues businesses when circumstances change.

Council offices

As of Monday 23 March, the Woodley Town Council Office reception in the Oakwood Centre will be closed, with officers working mostly from home.

• The Council phone line – 0118 969 0356 – will continue to be manned between 09.00 and 16.00 Monday to Friday
• In line with the latest advice and guidance from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Oakwood Centre and Brown Bag Cafe will close on Friday 20/3/2020
• Officers can still be contacted by email at admin@woodley.gov.uk and via their individual email addresses, which can be found HERE
• Woodford Park Leisure Centre will close on Friday 20/3/2020, according to the latest advice and guidance from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
• The Grounds Maintenance Team will continue to operate at this point but with reduced staff numbers.

Any changes or updates will be reported on our website (www.woodley.gov.uk) and via our Facebook (@WoodleyCouncil) and Twitter (@WoodleyCouncil) pages.

“We are currently going through an unprecedented period of uncertainty, the like of which many residents have ever experienced before. It is important to take serious notice of Government advice and take whatever action we feel is appropriate. We have set up a small team of key officers together with myself, as leader and the leader of the opposition to monitor daily developments as they unfold. Where possible we will keep facilities open for as long as we can but it will be difficult as the situation is changing rapidly. Please can I ask all residents to be calm and especially patient if you need to contact the Town Council,” says Leader of the Council, Councillor Keith Baker. 

Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Carol Jewell, adds:

“I would like to thank the Town Council staff for their commitment and hard work in ensuring the safety of any resident visiting the Town Council offices or any of its facilities. Although there will be no meetings for the foreseeable future, your Town Councillors can still be contacted via phone or email. These are difficult times and it is heartening (and doesn’t surprise me) to see so many people in our community offering to help others.”

National guidance

We ask our residents to continue to follow national Government and NHS guidance to prevent further spread of the illness and limit the numbers affected.

The latest advice is:

• if you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus illness (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started.
• if you live with others and you or one of them have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
• it’s important for everyone to see the ‘Ending Isolation’ guidance for more information.
• The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature (37.8 degrees or higher).

Further information can be found at the NHS 111 website. Please read the advice before calling 111.

Please see the Government Advice regarding Social Distancing.