The government has now extended the social distancing measures for at least another three weeks, which means it is vital that  we carry on as we have been and stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives

Now, more than ever, community is vital as we dig in and continue the fight against coronavirus. I ask everyone to do what they can to be a good neighbour.

Over the past few weeks we have seen an increase in complaints from people upset about the levels of noise coming from their neighbours’ homes. With almost everyone at home for the majority for the majority of their time now we all have to be mindful of noise levels and all try our best to be good and considerate neighbours.

Thurrock Council has been playing its part and I have been heartened this week to see some the kind gestures people have made leaving notes and even coming out to applaud our bin crews on their rounds.

They are not the only ones working hard to help people. All of our front-line teams are out in the community helping the vulnerable and keeping the borough clean and tidy.

On top of that there is our finance team which has distributed more than £13.6 million in government funding to 1,068 eligible local businesses over the last fortnight. They have been working evenings and weekends to make sure businesses get these vital lifelines as soon as possible during these uncertain times.

The best way for local businesses who have not received their grant yet to speed up payment is to make sure that the council has the correct contact and payment details to enable swift payment to businesses, many of which will be closed and cannot receive post.

Any business owner who thinks they are eligible for one of these grants should go to Thurrock Council's business rates web pages to find out more about the help on offer and update their contact and payment details through the online form.

Stay safe and please stay at home.

A new four-weekly brown bin collection will come into effect from Monday 20 April. This will ensure that every home has garden waste collected at least once a month.

Collections will take place in a different quarter of the borough each week. Please leave your brown bin out at the start of the week and then take it in again once your garden waste has been collected. 

The new timetable of collections will be in the following four-weekly schedule:

Week One - commencing Monday 20 April

Corringham and Fobbing, The Homesteads, Stanford East and Corringham, Stanford-le-Hope West, Orsett

Week Two - commencing Monday 27 April

East Tilbury, Chadwell St Mary, Tilbury St Chads, Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park, Little Thurrock Rectory

Week Three commencing Monday 4 May

Little Thurrock Blackshots, Stifford Clays, Grays Thurrock, Chafford and North Stifford, Grays Riverside

Week Four commencing Monday 11 May

Ockendon, Belhus, Aveley and Uplands, South Chafford, West Thurrock

Please regularly check the website for any service variations and continue to dispose of food waste in your green/grey bin during the weeks you are not expecting a brown bin collection.

Smoking further increases the risks posed by coronavirus (COVID-19) so now is an ideal time for smokers to think about quitting. 

Not only will quitting smoking reduce a smoker’s risk of serious health consequences from coronavirus, it will rapidly reduce their risk of other health problems related to smoking, such as heart disease and stroke. This is critical for both smokers and our health system which is already under strain at this time.

Help is at hand for anyone who wants to quit through the Thurrock Healthy Lifestyles Service (tel 0800 292 2299) or from the NHS Smokefree service.

Since launching Thurrock Coronavirus Community Action (TCCA) has spoken with more than 1,300 vulnerable residents and 412 volunteers have given nearly 500 hours of their time to helping those in need.

TCCA is creating bespoke care packages in place to ensure that all vulnerable residents get the help and support they need including providing essential shopping, prescription collections and someone to speak to in these challenging times.

So far TCCA has taken essential shopping to 240 people who needed help and did not have anyone else to turn to.

If you know of someone, or find yourself needing help as a priority and are without support from family and friends in the community, especially those who are vulnerable due to self-isolation or have worsening mental or physical health issues at this challenging time, please make an enquiry with the TCCA by using the online form. If you do not have access to the internet please call the helpline on 01375 511 002, this open 9am to 5pm seven days a week.

For other residents who have been identified by the NHS as being in the shielding category and are self-isolating for 12 weeks due to their particularly high risk because of serious health conditions, please do respond to the government directly by following the link or call their number in the text or letter you have received to sign up for specific support. If you have not been contacted and believe you fall into this category please contact your GP.

You can also register your interest in volunteering via the Thurrock Coronavirus Community Action web page