‘The strength and spirit of Moorlanders has come to the fore’

A MOORLANDS council has been inundated with thousands of calls during the challenges of Covid-19, writes LES JACKSON.

With council buildings closed to the public and the majority of staff working from home, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council said the delivery of services continued uninterrupted with figures up to early May showing that:

▶ Contact centre staff responded to 3,828 call and 6,082 webforms;

▶ 333,600 waste collections were carried out – and 33 per cent more dry recycling was collected;

▶ Business grants totalling £19.1m were issued to more than 1,700 businesses in the Staffordshire Moorlands;

▶ Responded to 86 business enquiries and made contact with our biggest employers to understand how the situation is affecting them;

▶ 1,629 benefits claims were processed;

▶ 20 rough sleepers were found accommodation;

▶ The Coronavirus Information Hub on the council website received more than 29,400 visits – with 20,000 hits to the business financial support pages – and the average reach on Facebook was 15,000 per week.

Councillor Sybil Ralphs, leader of the council, said: “Covid-19 has affected all of us in ways we couldn’t have imagined just several weeks ago and we are all having to adjust to different ways of living, working and learning.

“But what is clear is that none of us has to do this alone. The strength and spirt of Moorlanders has come to the fore with communities and individuals rising to the new challenges we’re facing magnificently and it is heart warming and humbling to see.

“For our part, the council remains very much here to offer our support. We have been able to quickly and effectively respond to the challenges raised by the coronavirus while maintaining our usual services, in far from usual circumstances.

“And, while we are here to serve our communities, it is gratifying to hear that this is very much appreciated by our residents and businesses – so many households have been showing their appreciation for our waste collection crews with drawings and messages of thanks; feedback from businesses who’ve received grants has been overwhelmingly positive; and we’ve been delighted to receive comments praising teams across the council from environmental health to parks for the truly excellent service they continue to provide.

“That we have continued to provide our core services and, at the same time, respond to the significant challenges of Covid-19, is testament to the resilience and hard work of our staff and partners who have shown their commitment to ensuring that we come through this as safely as possible. I commend them for all they have done and continue to do.

“While we are not quite there yet, I know that this same spirit and determination will stand the Staffordshire Moorlands in the best place to begin to recover as we gradually ease out of lockdown and move to the future with confidence.”

For more information visit www. staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/coronavirus