Posted on Thursday 5th November 2020
A wide range of physical and online county council services will continue to be available during lockdown.
Staffordshire County Council will continue helping people as much as possible during lockdown, says its leader.
Scheduled Home-to-School transport, household waste recycling centres and adult social care will continue unchanged from how they have operated in recent weeks, while places including children’s centres, libraries and register offices will continue to do as much as they can under the new restrictions.
Alan White, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said:
We are doing all we can to support our residents during the next few weeks.
We will continue to provide physical services where appropriate and encourage people to go online as well to check the latest situation, or to find help, advice and guidance to other resources.
Our contact centre staff are prioritising phone calls involving adult social care and concerns for safeguarding children; for Covid-19 contact tracing; and for helping those who are isolating without a support network.
So, if someone has an emergency where we can help, they should contact us without hesitation, but if it’s not an emergency please look for the information online, via the MyStaffs app, or wait until things return to normal.”
Children’s centres will remain open across Staffordshire for Childcare, Family Time and health appointments, while ‘family support’ and ‘peer support’ is available as required. The one exception is Hill Street in Stapenhill, Burton, because the health clinic it is based in is being used as part of the community Covid-19 response. Staffordshire’s virtual family hub also has plenty of short films of residents creating simple, low-cost nutritious family meals. They can be found here.
Staffordshire’s adult care services will continue to operate in their current Covid-19 secure format supporting residential care, supported living, bed-based respite care and ‘day opportunities’ in buildings and online.
Appointments at the county’s Registration offices for births and notices of marriages can still go ahead provided visitors follow existing guidance, available on the council website, while registrations for deaths will carry on being made by phone only.
Unfortunately, ceremonies for weddings and civil partnerships cannot go ahead from today until 2nd December, as per government guidance. All couples affected have been contacted to discuss options.
As schools remain open, free Home to School transport is continuing for eligible pupils, including the additional services organised by the county council to boost capacity on busy routes. And it’s also business as usual for school crossing patrols.
Staffordshire’s libraries will continue to provide a service. Browsing, pc access and meetings will not be allowed inside buildings, but libraries will still be offering an order and collect service at their front door.
The mobile service will continue with an order and collect service and as fines for overdue books have not been in place since March, users don’t have to worry during lockdown.
The online eBook service Borrowbox has thousands of titles available, while staff and volunteers will continue to support those who are lonely and isolated.
Libraries will not be open after 5pm on any day, but otherwise follow usual opening hours. Stafford library will also close on Sundays. More information can be found here.
The county’s 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres also remain open, with updated information available here.
Given the importance of getting fresh air and taking exercise, county council-owned country park car parks will remain open for people wanting exercise, though some facilities on sites may be affected. Visitor centres and children’s playgrounds will be closed, though cafes at Marquis Drive and Chasewater remain open for a takeaway service. Check the website for details.
Staffordshire’s Archive and Heritage Service will be closing the Staffordshire Record Office during lockdown, while the William Salt Library in Stafford remains closed.
The service will continue to answer enquiries and provide digital copies of items to fulfil orders and the public will still be able to browse our collections online through Staffordshire Past Track, Find My Past and Staffordshire Name Indexes sites.
And from 5th November, all public council meetings, including Cabinet and several scrutiny committees will revert to being held virtually and will be accessible online.
The County Council’s website can be found by searching ‘Staffordshire County Council’ in an internet browser or going to https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/homepage.aspx . If someone needs immediate help contact the authority by emailing contactus@staffordshire.gov.uk or calling 0300 111 8000; or textphone and minicom users on 01785 276207.