Dear Colleagues,

Following the Welsh Government announcement and the message from the Leader and I to you on Monday, I thought it would be useful to provide you with an update on the steps we have taken, as a local authority, to prepare for the fire-break lockdown measures, which will come in to force from 6pm on Friday. 

Immediately following the First Minster’s announcement on Monday, we held a joint Strategic Leadership Team and Cabinet meeting to discuss the effect that these restrictions will have on Council services and to agree where some services would cease temporarily. As a result, I can confirm the following changes to services which will be in place from 6pm this Friday until Monday 9th of November:

• Schools – nursery, primary, special school and year 7 and 8 secondary school pupils will return to school following half term (with the exception of any inset days and older pupils returning for exams only). For older pupils, provision will be made for online learning from home. We are awaiting further guidance from Welsh Government and this will be shared with our colleagues in Learning & Skills and our schools as soon as possible. 
  
  
• Libraries, including click and collect and delivery services, will close.
  
  
• Adult community learning classes will continue but will be provided remotely.
  
  
• Only essential care home visits will be permitted by exception.
  
  
• Household waste and recycling centres will close.
  
  
• Enforcement will change to focus on compliance with lockdown measures rather than environmental matters.
  
  
• The Greenlinks community bus service will be suspended.
  
  
• Wedding ceremonies can go ahead but with no celebrations to follow. Further guidance is awaited on this. 
  
  
• Events will not go ahead except for any organised small Remembrance services on Sunday 8 November and thereafter. This includes all organised events around Halloween and Bonfire Night, for example.
  
  
• Reception and face to face services will cease and residents will be asked to access advice and services online or to call C1V.
  
  
• Council office buildings will only be open for the small number of office-based staff who are unable to work from home. Please clarify this with your line manager if you are unsure.
  
  
• Childcare settings, including those run from community centres, will remain open.
  
  
• Parks, play areas, country parks and resorts, including car parks, will remain open for local residents to use to exercise. However, please note that exercise must begin and end at home. 
  
  
• Public toilets will remain open.
  
  
• Refuse and recycling collections, including bulky item collections will continue.

The Council’s website is being updated to reflect these changes and our social media channels will be used to share important service information as well as information about the restrictions. If you are unsure about how the lockdown restrictions may affect your service, please talk to your manager. The Welsh Government has also published a useful set of FAQs which provide information about the restrictions.

Throughout this period those who are able to must work from home. I understand that for many, especially during half term, this will be a challenge. I would encourage you to work flexibly around your families’ needs and take time off work, using annual leave, where you are able to. As ever, please discuss your working arrangements with your line manager. 

As the Leader and I described on Monday, the aim of introducing these restrictions now is to reduce the number of coronavirus cases and hospital admissions. If we all strictly adhere to these restrictions now, it is very possible we will be in a period of more relaxed restrictions over Christmas. 

Tomorrow, the Council’s Strategic Leadership Team will meet with all Heads of Service to discuss a range of initiatives to support staff wellbeing. This is in response to the wellbeing survey we ran over the summer, some of the suggestions that have come from my question time sessions with staff and feedback from yourselves to your managers. For example, we are looking at running a series of remote workshops sessions for staff on a range of different topics. I will provide more information on this in my message to you on Friday. 

For now, I’d like to thank you all who are once again adapting services ready for a short return to lockdown. When our meeting came to a close on Monday afternoon, Cabinet members asked me to express their thanks to all staff for keeping going when we are seven months in to a global pandemic, on the verge of another lockdown period and facing challenges none of us have seen before. I’d like to echo their sentiments and share them with you. Our communities are now looking to all of us to set an example, to follow the rules and to help keep the Vale and Wales safe.

Diolch yn fawr. Stay safe.

Rob