We continue to work closely with PTC and the Covid 19 Prudhoe group and also other County Cllrs in the Tynedale area.
Please remember the Covid group are made up of local volunteers, and should only be used when there is no other support available.
A special mention today to everyone who is still working hard supporting the public be it from home or still in their normal places of work, NHS. Schools, Carers, Emergency services, utility providers, Production in factories etc, cleaners. Transport workers, Royal mail / post office teams and the people who are providing such great services in our shops making food and goods available for us all.
And of course NCC teams who continue to do such a great job.
We know it is not easy.
We are concerned about the many people who have lost their jobs suddenly and are struggling, we hope the support being provided will assist.
We are in contact with the DWP looking at opportunities for employment.
We are still receiving a very large number of calls and e mails and we are still responding to them quickly.
We also welcome regular contact from businesses, Schools, Churches, Police and other parts of the great Prudhoe community.
We are here to support everyone everyday of the year – If you have a question suggestion or just want to chat please get in touch – CLICK HERE
(We never enter into conversation or take reports via social media).
Thank you.
NCC Resources are having to work differently so the service provided may not be the norm.
We will try to progress residents queries as quickly as practicable in the difficult circumstances we all find ourselves in.
We receive a lot of enquiries from residents about issues that are not connected to the council such as housing association home repairs, we will assist residents if they are having issues but ask that they contact the relevant organisation first.
Please see below an update from the NCC CEO sent to County Cllrs today which you may find useful. (Certain parts have been omitted as not relevant to the public ie HR)
————————————————————-
Following the Prime Minister’s recent announcements, I wanted to reassure you of the measures the council is putting in place to both protect our workforce, whilst delivering critical services to our communities.
The Prime Minister urged us all at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives. We ALL MUST follow this advice.
Staff have been advised:
-
To only attend work if you are categorised as an essential key worker and your manager has confirmed that this is the case
-
YOU MUST STAY AT HOME if you are not categorised as an essential key worker, you have an underlying health condition or you have been asked to do so by the NHS.
If staff do attend work as an essential key worker they MUST adhere to the social distancing measures and advice issued by Public Health England AT ALL TIMES, including remaining up to 2 metres apart. Information on PHE Social Distancing Guidance here PHE Social Distancing Guidance
Service updates
Through our established Business Interruption Management Team, each individual service area is now reenacting their Business Continuity Plans, and briefings went out to staff last night, and these will continue this morning.
We are prioritising critical frontline services to ensure our most vulnerable communities are provided for – across children’s and adults services – this is our number one priority.
Whilst those essential services are currently running, as you will appreciate, some are in demand and under pressure, however, all of our critical service areas are operating as normal. As previously advised, it may be necessary to redeploy staff from non-critical services to support our frontline critical service provision for residents.
Please visit our dedicated Service updates page on the website – this information is being updated daily.
Schools
We have worked closely with schools across Northumberland following the school closures announced last week, and they really have been very pragmatic in their response to support key workers and our most vulnerable children.
Schools transport is still being offered to them, however less pupils turned into school yesterday than anticipated, so this will be continually reviewed over the coming day. However, we will offer transport to those you need it.
Business/Welfare Support
The Chancellor also announced significant support for businesses and supporting residents who may be suffering from hardship, please see link here to .gov. support for business.
In order to support this, the council will be establishing a Northumberland Business Hub which will be operational in the next few days. We may be diverting some resources both within County Hall, and from some people, working remotely to support this going forward. There will be a major advertising national campaign to share more details on this but we are aware that our staff may have family, friends and colleagues affected by the impact of this Coronavirus. As soon as our hub is up and running, we will share more information with you so this can be promoted across the county.
For information on benefits, please share the link on Universal Credit Here
Shielding Hub/Supporting Communities
The County Council also has a pivotal role to play in establishing support for our communities and we will also be establishing:
-
Northumberland Shielding Hub
-
Northumberland Communities Together
Northumberland Shielding Hub
The council has now established the Northumberland Shielding Hub which will be responsible for leading the response to support our most vulnerable residents – this is a critical role for the council.
We will be ensuring that medicines and essential supplies will be available to support those residents who are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus. The Northumberland Shielding Hub will be working closely with colleagues from the NHS, central Government, the armed forces and supermarket chains to ensure that we are there for the residents who need us.
Northumberland Communities Together
As you know, in Northumberland we have strong local communities, and the response across the county has been phenomenal to say the least, and I know many of you are involved in bringing these together. This has never been more important than now.
We have pulled a core strategic team to support local community activity, and this initiative will be called Northumberland Communities Together. The team are already liaising with a variety of groups, including the Town and Parish Councils, to bring together a network of key community links across the county.
Plans on this will be announced imminently, and we will make sure you are involved in this work, and play a crucial role in helping coordinate our local community volunteers while making sure the most vulnerable residents are protected.
Further information on this specifically will be sent to you shortly.
Communications
We have set up a dedicated Coronavirus community hub on the council’s website, which brings all the essential updates and information into one place.
We are keeping residents updated with national guidance as it becomes available, only using trusted sources of information, and continually reiterating the importance of basic hygiene precautions, and what they can do to protect themselves.
Importantly, please ensure you take care of yourself, and those around you, and stay safe and continue to follow the Government’s guidance.
These are unprecedented times, and we really do need to work together to get through this.
Prudhoe Matters 