Coronavirus - Impacts On Residents And Businesses

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Latest local update from the Thamesfield ward councillors


Thamesfield Councillors Mike Ryder, Rosemary Torrington, and John Locker

Dear Resident,

We understand that many residents will be very worried about the effects of COVID-19 on our community, so we wanted to share information about how we can best protect ourselves and support each other. We also want to add our thanks to all those local people working in the NHS and other critical roles, and to those volunteering to help others as we unite to fight this pandemic.

These are also difficult times for local businesses. So we are keen to support Positively Putney’s new online website where you can order your favourite items from local stores for delivery. Please do check out the website here https://shopappy.com/putney

We are so grateful to everyone across Putney and the borough for coming together. Clearly the restrictions on movement and measures we are all taking are unprecedented but the community spirit and resilience has been marvellous. We want to thank everyone for being so helpful and considerate. Everyone at the Council is working very hard to ensure residents stay safe and vulnerable people get the help they need. If anyone would like to raise any matters with us or give feedback, please get in touch.

Please contact us by clicking on our names below if you have any queries or anything we can help with.

Stay safe and best wishes

Cllr Michael Ryder
Cllr Rosemary Torrington
Cllr John Locker

Stay at Home – Protect the NHS – Save Lives

The expert advice is clear, we all need to stay at home and minimise our social interaction for the next few weeks in order to reduce the spread of the virus. The Government has said people should only leave the house for one of four reasons.

• Shopping for basic necessities for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.
• One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household.
• Any medical need or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
• Travelling to and from work but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home.

Helping Vulnerable People

The Council has created a Community Hub for residents, particularly those people who are elderly and/or vulnerable without support networks, who need support to access medical/care services and food supplies. It is designed to help those most in need to stay safe and well while they self-isolate at home.

You can call our Community Hub on 020 8871 6555 or click here to e-mail our Community Hub.

You can see a short video of the Council’s work with Wandsworth's AgeUK to deliver food parcels across the borough here.


If you want to help

If you are an individual, business or organisation that is interested in helping, we would encourage you to visit our webpage and complete our online form in the ‘how your organisation can help’ section.

If you are an existing voluntary or community group in the borough, or one who has been formed in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, you can contact the Wandsworth Voluntary Sector Co-ordination Project (part of the Care Alliance) to liaise with the Council.

Helping Businesses, Employees, and the Self-Employed

In response to the economic impact of the virus, the Chancellor has announced an unprecedented package of financial measures. The measures include business rate relief, grants and loans to keep businesses and the economy going during these difficult times.

Details of the schemes and how to apply can be found by here.

The Council has already paid out over £20 million of grants, helping hundreds of local businesses. So please do visit the website and see what your business can apply for.

Update on Council Services

The Council has had to reduce or change a number of services across the borough as part of the emergency response, here are some of services that are affected:

• All libraries and leisure centres are currently closed.
• Parks and green spaces remain open but signs have been placed on playgrounds and equipment reminding residents of the need to maintain social distancing measures.
• Rubbish and Recycling collections are running to schedule.

But we have had to postpone the collection of garden waste and we urge people not to dispose of bulky items at this time. The waste crews are doing a tremendous job keeping the service running with reduced staffing levels due to the virus. We have also had to close the tip at Smugglers Way for the time being.

You can find the latest updates on the Council’s website.

Sign up for the weekly e-newsletter here.

This will ensure you receive the latest information on combatting COVID-19 and any changes to Council services like waste and recycling, libraries, schools, and leisure centres as part of the emergency response.

We hope you find this e-bulletin useful. Please do feel free to share it with your friends, neighbourhood and community groups. We also post important information on our social media accounts, please click the buttons below to take you to our social media pages and our Website.

Councillors Mike Ryder, Rosemary Torrington and John Locker
Thamesfield ward

April 14, 2020