Latest news and advice on COVID-19 from Wiltshire Council

Information from Wiltshire Council:

We will be providing updates on our services on our website and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

For central government updates follow:
Public Health England
NHS
Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Our leader Cllr Philip Whitehead has given a further update on what actions we’ve taken so far. This briefing focuses on our priorities and the six point plan that we’ve implemented.
Click here for the a video of Cllr Philip Whitehead

Face to Face services in our hubs

Wiltshire Council hubs in Trowbridge, Chippenham and Salisbury remain open, but only the most vulnerable people, who cannot contact us by phone or online should visit our buildings and only if it essential and you are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19.Following Government guidance to help reduce the spread of COVID19 Wiltshire Council is only offering the following essential face-to-face services in our buildings:
• Support for the homeless
• Adult social care
• Children’s social care
• Support for vulnerable peoplePeople needing assistance with Benefits can call 0300 456 0110 or
email benefits@wiltshire.gov.uk We will accept documents by email.You can also visit our website
www.wiltshire.gov.uk for more information or contact Customer Services on
0300 456 0100

All registration services except death registration appointments are currently suspended; appointments can be made for our Chippenham, Timber Street, Salisbury, Bourne Hill and Trowbridge, County Hall offices only by calling 0300 003 4569.

Vulnerable people and those requesting housing assistance should call west 01225 718005, north 01249 706666, or south 01722 434233, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm; or email homeless@wiltshire.gov.uk; people needing assistance with benefits should call 0300 456 0110.

All HRCs (Household Recycling Centres) are closed

Following the government guidance on staying at home, all household recycling centres are now closed until further notice.Trips to the recycling centres are not essential. Read the government guidance online.

This temporary suspension will remain under review and we will work to re-open these facilities as soon as is it reasonable to do so.

Residents are reminded not to dump waste – fly-tipping is illegal. Neither should householders use an unlicensed waste carrier to collect and dispose of their waste during this period of service suspension. Where possible, please store the waste you would want to take to the household recycling centre until such time as the sites reopen.

For more information about licensed waste carriers, go online.

Our waste and recycling collections services are currently operating as normal.

Play areas and outdoor gyms closed

Following government guidance to stay at home, all Wiltshire play areas and outdoor gyms are closed until further notice, so please do not use these and do not allow your children to use these areas until further notice.Open spaces, such as country parks, will remain open, but you should only leave the house for one form of exercise a day alone or with members of your household, and you must ensure you are two metres apart from anyone outside of your household.

Play areas and outdoor gyms closed

Open spaces, such as country parks, will remain open, but you should only leave the house for one form of exercise a day alone or with members of your household, and you must ensure you are two metres apart from anyone outside of your household.

Volunteer groups

We have published a directory of community volunteer groups that have been set up throughout the county, in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

So far, we’ve been made aware of more than 100 groups that are supporting their fellow residents throughout Wiltshire during this difficult time.

Protect yourself from rogue traders

This is a worrying time for everyone but particularly for the older and more vulnerable members of our society. Communities are looking at ways to pull together and provide help to those who may need or want to self-isolate. One of the suggestions we are seeing is to offer services to those who are unable to leave their homes. While we do not wish to discourage much needed kindness, we are also aware of the opportunity this provides to rogue traders, distraction burglars, bogus callers and other criminals.

If you have friends or relatives who may be targeted, remind them to use their safety chains when answering the door. If they don’t have one then they may prefer to speak through a window or not answer at all. They should avoid letting anyone they don’t know into their home.

Action Fraud have reported scammers sending out e-mails advertising Coronavirus kits and cures. Do not respond to these.

If you are looking for ways to offer help, we would suggest the following:

– consider only calling on neighbours who know or are likely to recognise you
– try to avoid asking for money in advance if collecting shopping or prescriptions
– keep an eye out for rogue traders carrying out work
– phone elderly and vulnerable friends and relatives to reiterate this advice

Gas safety checks

Any council tenant with a gas safety check scheduled for the next three weeks will go ahead as planned, as it is a legal requirement that we remain gas compliant as a landlord.

All engineers will wear the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) and will stay two metres away from residents at all times, in line with social distancing measures.

However, if you are self-isolating due to COVID-19 symptoms, or if you have underlying health conditions, or you would like to postpone your appointment, please call contractor PH Jones on 01722 413344 to reschedule your visit.

Community advice

We have created a COVID-19 Community Pack to support you and your community during the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

Within it you’ll find a list of key contacts, resources and information in one place, which we hope you can share with your community to support each other as much as possible during this time.