Message from Councillor Vikki Slade, leader of BCP Council

It feels almost unimaginable that I am writing this message from home while my children learn at the kitchen table and conference calls are taking place from a quiet corner of the house as we all come to terms with the impact on our lives from the Coronavirus pandemic.

As leader of BCP Council I wanted to thank everyone who is working on the frontline in the NHS, as council workers, in supermarkets, in the care sector, delivering post parcels and groceries, in pharmacies, emergency services, schools and childcare settings, those who are keeping us informed and the countless other services that happen without most of us even being aware.

It has been so heartening to see people change their routines, take on different responsibilities, accept restrictions on their liberties and rally together to support each other. It gives me huge confidence that once we have beaten this terrible virus, our communities will rebuild stronger and that people will value the things that really matter.

Council and NHS services are under incredible pressure; every day we are taking decisions to suspend non-critical services, delay planned projects and redeploy staff. There will inevitably be some impact on service times, availability of goods in shops and access to facilities. Please do bear with us and be assured that these decisions are not taken lightly. As more information is provided about financial support for individuals, families and businesses and schemes are set up to support communities, the websites of the councils will be updated, so if you have access to the internet please check in regularly.

It is incumbent on every single one of us to live by the rules – Stay at Home and Save the NHS. If you are in a vulnerable category you should be staying at home and self-isolating completely, arranging for others to do your shopping and using the community support arrangements.

If your work can be done at home, work from home. If it can’t and your company is continuing to operate, maintain the 2m rule and keep washing hands and taking the other hygiene precautions. There have been too many reports of people - of all ages - gathering near shops, or in parks or queuing close together and we really must stop this behaviour. Whether you think you are personally safe from the virus is irrelevant – if you pass it to someone else you will be putting people in the NHS, councils and emergency services at risk who may be more vulnerable than you.

Our whole way of life has been challenged but this is an opportunity for us to come together as a community and as a nation; by putting our lives on hold now we can build a brighter future and celebrate all the love and support in our community when this is over.