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April 2020
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Welcome to the latest edition of our online newsletter for residents.
Coronavirus update
We are working hard to support residents and businesses during the Coronavirus pandemic. We are trying to make sure that any disruptions to services are kept to a minimum.
There are some changes to our regular services that we have made to follow the latest Government advice to keep you and our teams safe.
You can read about the services and events which are affected on our Coronavirus page visit
For regular updates and information on changes to our services follow the council on social media. We are on Facebook and Twitter.
Some of the main changes are highlighted below.
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Bin collections
Our bin collections are currently taking place as normal. Emptying your bins is one of our priorities so we have made special arrangements to make sure the service continues for as long as possible. This has meant we have had to stop some of our operational services like bulky waste collections to move staff over to work with our bin crews. You can help us keep the service running and assist our crews during this challenging time by reducing your waste as much as possible.
There are no changes to bin collections over the Easter Holidays.
Worcestershire County Council’s household recycling centres (tips) are now closed so please do not carry out any house or shed clearances unless you can store waste until they open again. At the moment we do not know when this will be.
We understand you may be generating more waste than normal as you’re correctly staying at home but it’s really important you only put items that can be recycled in your green bin.
If you need to check what to put in each bin, please see our website.
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Garden Waste
We recommend composting any garden waste at home but, if you’re unable to do that, we are currently still running a fortnightly garden waste collection service.
Worcestershire County Council is also selling subsidised compost bins.
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Bonfires
Please think twice before lighting a wood burning stove and open fires, or lighting bonfires during the Coronavirus crisis. Covid-19 is a respiratory disease and the extra smoke may make things worse for people. Read the latest advice from Worcestershire Regulatory Services on bonfires.
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Help our crews
Our crews are doing a fantastic job to make sure your bin collections continue at this difficult time. Thank you to everyone for the messages of support.
They are frontline staff, already working with reduced numbers, so please help them help you by practising social distancing. We understand you may have questions about our services but please do not ask them like you might normally!
You can safely contact our operational services team online.
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Business support
A full range of business support measures have been made available to businesses and employees affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.
We are in the process of paying out more than £20m in grants to eligible businesses and amending rates bills for many businesses so that they are zero in 2020-21, based on Government-funded schemes. We have set up a page on our website with links to the information you need.
If you would like to keep up to date with developments, please sign up to the Business Newsletter produced by our colleagues in North Worcestershire Economic Development and Regeneration team.
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Car parking
We have suspended all parking charges in Wyre Forest District Council owned car parks until further notice.
The move is to help support key workers and those dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic. (Please note Weavers’ Wharf is not owned by the council). Season tickets are being extended for 3 months and there is more information on our website.
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Our buildings
All of our public buildings including Wyre Forest House, The Hub and Bewdley Museum are closed to the public.
The Hub, our customer services centre, is open only for emergency housing enquiries. Please do NOT visit there for any other purpose. You can still access many services online. Telephone services continue as normal, please bear with us if there is a delay answering your call.
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Our green spaces
Our play areas and skate parks have been closed since Tuesday 24 March but our parks and nature reserves remain open.
Please remember you should stay at least two metres away from other people. All public gatherings of more than two people, who are not from the same household, have been stopped.
Help us to keep the district a safe, clean and green environment by taking your litter home.
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Looking after your health and wellbeing
It is okay to feel worried, anxious or stressed at the moment but it is important to look after both your physical and mental health while following the rules on social distancing.
A range of video workouts, advice and other information is available online to help you.
There are tips on how to take care of your mental health from the NHS Every Mind Matters website.
Stay in, Work Out is advice on how to keep active around the home from Sport England.
If you need help explaining about the virus and what is happening to your children then please download the information sheet from the children's commissioner here.
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Be on your guard against scams
There are lots of scams connected with coronavirus circulating at the moment. Some involve fake calls, texts, emails and social media messages. West Mercia Police has issued advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of a coronavirus scam.
The Insolvency Service and the Financial Conduct Authority are also warning the public to be extra vigilant and be wary of scams related to coronavirus that target finances.
Social workers are also reporting a number of suspicious volunteers targeting vulnerable people in the county. Worcestershire County Council's advice is to take normal precautions but don't be afraid to accept offers of help from those you know and trust.
We are reminding people to follow normal checks to make sure their volunteer helpers are genuine. We advise people to ask to see identification, and not allow anyone in their homes unless they are certain they are genuine. Anyone who believes they have been visited by a bogus volunteer should contact the police.
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Beware of false information
A new GOV.UK WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Service has now been launched. The purpose of this product is to combat the spread of misinformation. To use the service simply add +44 7860 064422 to your contacts and send a WhatsApp message saying Hi.
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Here2Help
Here2Help is Worcestershire’s community response to the Coronavirus. It is designed to help members of the community that do not need urgent help and are unable to seek help from family, friends and neighbours. This is for help with things like collecting shopping or medicines, walking the dog etc. On the website you can request help and volunteer to help. Anyone unable to fill in the online form can call 01905 768053 between 8am and 8pm.
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Careers Worcestershire Launched
Are you aged 16-24? Looking for help to secure a place in education, training or an apprenticeship in September?
Careers Worcestershire is a new service from Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and Worcestershire County Council. It has been launched to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and closures of education settings and to support the young people of Worcestershire. It offers help and support to young people who have questions about the next steps in their education or career choices.
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Help for the ‘extremely vulnerable’
The NHS has sent letters to residents and carers of people who have been identified as ‘extremely vulnerable'.
If you have received one of these letters or know someone who has, the Government is now asking that all recipients please register - even if you don’t need support. If you need help such as a food delivery and don’t have a support network around you, please register or use the helpline: there is help available. Just visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable, or call the helpline on 0800 0288327.
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Coronavirus Status Checker
A new Coronavirus Status Checker that will help the NHS coordinate its response and build up additional data on the Covid-19 outbreak has been launched. The tool, on the NHS website, is open to anyone in the UK.
Users are clearly told it is not a triage or clinical advice tool, and that they should visit 111 online for medical advice about their symptoms. However, the information gathered will help the NHS to plan its response to the outbreak, indicating when and where more resources like oxygen, ventilators and additional staff might be needed. It will also provide valuable insight into the development and progression of the virus across the country.
So if you or a member of your household would like to help with this important data collecting exercise, please go to the link and fill in the survey – you can fill it in even if you are well and have not had any symptoms.
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