County Councillor’s Report

Dear Friends,

It is at this time of the year that I would be joining you and our fellow residents for the round of Annual Parish meetings. In view of the current circumstances, and the fact that they will not be taking place, I thought it appropriate that I should send an update to you, and a reminder of my contact details so that any Parish Council needing my services or assistance can get in touch immediately.

My contact details are 01420 563923 / 07748 945947 and our office here at home is functioning
as usual. The same, of course, applies to any resident with concerns that you might be aware of.

Public health – The County Council continues to keep a close watch on the Coronavirus outbreak with processes in place to respond. Needless to say, particularly in terms of adult social care, we are supporting the NHS and the relevant voluntary organisations in every way we can. Also, support for key workers everywhere is fundamental to our emergency action plan.

Hampshire residents can stay updated with the latest Government advice, information and guidance on: www.hants.gov.uk/coronavirus

A new helpline is up and running for frail or vulnerable residents who do not have support from families, friends or their local communities and villages and who need urgent assistance with essential food or household supplies, collection of medication, or who are feeling isolated.

The Coronavirus Hampshire helpline can be contacted on 0333 3704000. The helpline is available 7 days a week from 9 am – 5 pm.

If you need urgent food supplies, you can expect to receive a food box, typically containing:

Pasta
Cereal
Soup
UHT milk
Longlife orange juice
Bread
Apples
Biscuits
Essential personal items, eg soap, toothpaste, etc.

Key Workers during the Easter Holidays – Council officers will be on hand to help parents who are critical workers and who are having difficulty accessing school-age child care over the Easter holiday. These parents should email epinfocell@hants.gov.uk, or for pre-school care, email the Services for Young Children Team at childcare@hants.gov.uk and include full contact
details so that parents and carers can be assisted as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Road Repairs – Please report these in the normal way through hantsnet but only dangerous issues are being sorted at the moment. Please feel free to contact me if you are really concerned about a particular repair situation.

Finally, I send you my very best wishes for a peaceful Easter and pay tribute to the marvellous community spirit pervading all the villages in the Alton Rural Division where self-help is providing immense support to every single community. I am only too aware that it is the parish
councils who are at the very heart of this remarkable effort.