Staff at council’s HQ finally get their hands on sanitiser

Hand sanitiser will finally be made available for staff at Moray Council’s HQ next week following repeated concerns.

The authority has asked employees who have still been working at its Elgin offices during the lockdown to wash their hands while in the buildings.

But concerns have been raised that not everyone complies with the guidance.

In recent weeks requests were made by the Moray Alliance Group of three independent councillors to make hand sanitiser available when staff enter the building to encourage them to clean their hands.

Now the council has finally agreed to the request, with changes expected to be made from next week. Group co-leader Ryan Edwards described the council’s approach to date as “negligent”, while citing World Health Organisation recommendations for the provision of sanitiser.

He said: “I find it totally unacceptable that the local authority has not taken the lead when it comes to tackling the Covid-19 virus and protecting our staff.

“We believe that we have a duty of care to both the public and to our dedicated and wonderful staff.”

Co-leader Derek Ross added: “As a group we asked at an early stage for sanitisers to be at every entrance as a minimum, but firmly believe this should extend to every office within all council buildings.”

A Moray Council spokesman said: “Our priority has had to be that frontline staff that don’t have access to soap and water are supplied with sanitiser.

“But we expect to be in a position to supply hand sanitiser to offices as an additional measure, commencing next week.”

The council’s Moray Alliance Group pushed the issue