Croydon Council’s large-scale response so far to support residents in need during the coronavirus pandemic while maintaining frontline services will be discussed at a virtual meeting on Monday 11 May.
Monday’s cabinet meeting report sets out the range of help the council has given local residents and businesses during lockdown and in addition to its usual day-to-day services. This includes moving some services to seven days a week, sourcing PPE for care home staff, and working with the voluntary sector to deliver food to thousands of residents in need, including the medically shielded or vulnerable.
The council’s borough-wide response to date since lockdown has included:
• Sourcing supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to care homes and council staff
• Working closely with NHS partners in the One Croydon Alliance on public health, hospital discharge and remote clinical support
• Supporting vulnerable children and adults both in person and online
• Expanding key services’ opening hours, including the council’s welfare rights hotline and the FJC’s domestic violence support
• Funding for local businesses, voluntary groups and cultural groups hit by lockdown
• Financial help for thousands of struggling families, including deferrals or automatic discounts on council tax bills and £22,300 worth of food vouchers
• Launching the fourth Food Stop, which also supplies borough-wide voluntary groups
• Placing 62 homeless people into emergency accommodation, including 23 rough sleepers, plus emergency accommodation for people leaving hospital
• Stopping all bailiff action and halting all repossessions during Covid-19
• Suspending all parking charges.
Despite a nationwide shortage of PPE, the council has sourced 118 emergency PPE supply packs for providers such as care homes, plus 48,000 pieces of PPE equipment for staff alone. It set up a dedicated council PPE team, which has helped local care homes to source six weeks of stock before a nationwide ordering system began.
The council has delivered over 900 emergency food packages, with thousands more provided in partnership via local voluntary groups. The council has redistributed thousands of business donations, including hot food, ready meals and baby food.
Council funds have also been set up to support groups whose costs have been hit by Covid-19. This includes an emergency fund, with over £120,000 awarded to date to voluntary and community groups facing financial challenges as a direct result of Covid-19 costs; a £135,000 Cultural Relief Fund; and a council grant fund of £10,000 taken up by over 1,200 small businesses so far that receive small business or rural rate relief.
“I’d like to thank every person in Croydon who has played their part in a monumental joint effort across the borough during lockdown, from residents looking out for their neighbours and following social distancing to council staff and our NHS and community partners who have worked tirelessly to support the most vulnerable.
“We aren’t yet done, and as we prepare to come out of lockdown we’re already planning ahead so we continue to give our residents and businesses the best possible help through Covid-19’s long-term impact.”
Councillor Tony Newman, leader of the council
To view the report being discussed at Monday’s cabinet meeting, visit the council website.
