District Councillors and officers are working hard to protect residents against the threat of Coronavirus by encouraging them to follow the clear government guidance provided on the council website.
As well as sharing the important messages about staying at home, regular hand washing and social distancing the council are also taking important practical steps to help residents and businesses.
The reception areas at Bognor Regis Town Hall and the Civic Centre have been adapted with screens protective screens constructed to help keep the public and staff safe and are closed to all but those presenting as homeless on the day.
As well as managing our homeless provision we have been in contact with members of our rough sleeping community in a bid to ensure they are in suitable accommodation by this weekend in line with government advice. This is an ongoing process and we continue to try and engage with all members of this community to accept the accommodation being offered to them at this time.
We are very aware of the difficulties the situation has brought to the businesses in the district and in order to ease the strain Arun businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will not have to pay business rate for the 2020-21 tax year. They can cancel their direct debits with immediate effect and we will write to them when we have more information from central government. For small and medium size enterprises within these sectors that rent premises from Arun District Council, we will be offering a rental payment holiday of at least three months and will be reviewing this as time goes on.
Making sure vulnerable and isolated residents are taken care of is vital at this time of crisis and Arun District Council will be working closely with West Sussex County Council, the NHS, PHE and other partners as part of the Community Hub. There is now a dedicated webpage on the West Sussex website where people can request hep or report need. Details of this are on our website.
Keeping our services running is a priority and our Councillors and officers are making great use of conference calling and video calls as well as remote working to ensure that we can continue to deliver the high-quality services our residents are used to, whilst staying safe. We are very resilient and we intend to fight as hard as we can to minimise any disruption to our delivery.
As part of this provision our refuse, recycling and green waste collections are running to their normal schedule for the time being, and public toilets remain open with extra cleaning taking place.
Cllr Dr James Walsh, Leader of Arun District Council said: “I cannot stress enough the importance of adhering to the clear guidance from central government. In order to keep you, your families and the vulnerable members of our district safe and well, you must stay at home, continue to wash your hand well and regularly and follow the social distancing guidance from the government.”