Column: Every effort is being put in to combat coronavirus

Government and public health advice is updating regularly, and Brighton and Hove City Council is putting out more information daily, so please do keep checking our website if you need information at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk.

I want to thank all council staff across the departments who are working flat out and around the clock to deliver vital services to our residents in difficult circumstances. The council – like many others in the public sector – provides essential public services to residents, some of who are vulnerable. We’re doing everything we can to keep key services across the city up and running, and to work with partner organisations and residents across Brighton and Hove to minimise the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

It’s no exaggeration to say that some of the services the council provides protect people’s lives, whether this be via our social work or by ensuring payments are made so that people have money to buy food and heat their homes.

We’re working hard to protect our most vulnerable residents. Some of our key roles simply cannot be performed from home and where these business-critical services are being identified, staff working within those services will be supported to work from their normal place of work. It’s just not possible to stop carrying out these services.

I also want to thank our NHS staff and care workers who are at the frontline of this pandemic and are working tirelessly to keep us safe.

We must all do our bit too. That includes following the Public Health England social distancing guidance. Your action can save lives. We need to stop travelling unless in a key worker role. Pubs, clubs, theatres and leisure centres are closing to help protect the most vulnerable in our communities from the virus. We must all also continue to wash our hands regularly and thoroughly and practise good hygiene to help keep each other safe.

Last week I wrote an open letter to supermarkets in Brighton and Hove, thanking the staff for their hard work and calling on the companies to put in place further contingency measures to mitigate against stockpiling. I thanked those that had already put in place measures such as setting aside an hour for older and more vulnerable residents to do their shopping, restricting the number of certain items people can buy or increasing home delivery slots. Since I was still hearing from residents who were struggling to buy even one of the basics they need like toilet roll, nappies, gluten-free food or paracetamol, I called on supermarkets to do more. I asked for consideration of contingency measures such as more stringent limitations of items per shopper, reserving a stock of in-demand items to be made available on request, and prioritising delivery slots for older people, people with disabilities and those who need to self-isolate.

Supermarkets are responding to me outlining measures similar to those above. Please do continue to let me know if you are struggling to buy the essentials.

We all have a role to play of course. There is enough to go around if we all just buy what we need. Panic buying is really unhelpful and we should all continue to think about our neighbours and our communities. We should also only be buying specialist foods such as gluten-free if we specifically need them, to ensure those who do can access them.

We can only protect ourselves and our loved ones from the virus, by looking out for one another.

Because we live in such a caring and compassionate city, countless residents have been in touch to ask how else they can help and many are volunteering already. We’ve got an army of people wanting to support and take care of each other and their communities. This is typical of Brighton and Hove and I’m incredibly proud of our city.

We do need to have oversight and organise this action though so that people continue to be safe and are protected. Residents can check the council website for information on how they can safely volunteer in their communities, from donating spare items to the local foodbank to checking in on an elderly neighbour.

There are links there to Community Works and the Brighton Covid-19 Mutual Aid Facebook Group which are full of great initiatives from residents looking out for vulnerable people in their communities.

As a council we are working with partners to bring together a co-ordinated community support effort, and we will produce a “top tips” for setting up volunteer groups aiming to ensure groups are operating with clarity and safety in mind.

Please keep following guidance.