Dear resident,

Normally, many of us would be looking forward to going outside over the bank holiday weekend to enjoy some sunshine. However, this weekend is different.

It is more vital than ever that we stay at home to protect the NHS and to save lives.

This means we must not go out to meet up with friends and family. Parks and other outdoor spaces – including outdoor areas on estates – must only be used once a day for daily exercise, by yourself or with your household members. You must stay two metres away from others.

Many of our residents have no outdoor space. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, please ask yourself whether you need to leave your home this weekend. The fewer people who use our parks, the easier it is for those who need to use them, to do so safely.

This weekend is also an important weekend for many in our faith communities. I am thankful to our faith organisations in Southwark, who are playing a key role in supporting our vulnerable residents and also finding new virtual ways to hold prayers and services, so that their congregations can abide by government rules banning large gatherings.

Every day the council is delivering food to vulnerable people across the borough. Alongside the essentials, the food parcels this week will have a Fairtrade chocolate egg included, secured by the council at below cost price from local Fairtrade company, Divine Chocolate. It’s important to recognise that we can still do little things which can make people smile, brighten their day or uplift them in such difficult times. We hope this will give residents some cheer while they are missing their families and friends at this time of year.

In this newsletter you will find some key updates about council services You can also check our website for updates at www.southwark.gov.uk/covidsupport.

I know that for many of you, this will be a strange and at times lonely Easter, as you miss the family and friends you would normally see at this time of year. These are indeed extraordinary times. But the scenes coming out of hospital intensive care units, the deaths of thousands of much-loved UK residents, and the news about the Prime Minister this week show us just how deadly this disease is, and how important it is that we take the rules seriously.

I wish you all the very best and thank you again for playing your part in keeping Southwark safe.

Cllr Peter John

Do you know a vulnerable resident who needs help?

If you know of a vulnerable Southwark resident who can’t leave the house due to coronavirus (COVID-19), and who may not have friends, family or neighbours who can help with the delivery of essential supplies, please tell us straight away so we can help them.

Grants for community groups

We’re providing grants to local charities and community groups that are supporting residents in Southwark in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The deadline for applications for the first round of grants is 13 April, but there will be three more funding rounds after that.

Bank holiday bin collections

Bin collections over the bank holiday weekend will continue as normal. So if your usual collection day is a Friday or Monday your bins should still be collected.

With our current staffing pressures, some collections may be missed and so please do report a missed collection on our website and we will try to action it right away.

Noise complaints

There has been a huge change in the way we are living and we are all spending much more time in our homes. Please think about how you are impacting on your neighbours, and keep loud noise and music at a minimum so everyone can enjoy some peace in their own homes. If you are experiencing persistent noise problems, you can still report them to us.

Update on GCSEs, AS and A-levels

Following the government’s decision to cancel this year’s exams more information is now available on how grades will be awarded this summer.

Planned service to remember lives lost to COVID-19

Any loss of a loved one is tragic, but deaths at this extraordinary time can be even harder to bear when many of the normal ways to express our grief and pay our respects are not available to us. We are working with our friends at Southwark Cathedral to plan an interfaith service to pay our respects to all those with a connection to Southwark who lose their lives due to COVID-19, once the country has come out of lockdown and returned to some sort of normality. When the time is right we will ask their families, friends and colleagues to join us in a celebration of their lives and recognition of the difference they made in supporting our borough through this time.

Thank you for saying thank you!

Thank you to everyone who has been thanking council staff or leaving them messages during these difficult times. A quick ‘thank you’ to a social worker, refuse worker, park warden, street cleaner, or one of our many other frontline workers, means so much and lifts their spirits.

Dear resident,

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to keeping us all safe by staying at home and keeping your distance. Under normal circumstances we would all be looking forward to a sunny weekend outside, but this weekend it remains vital for us all to keep following the rules about staying at home and social distancing.

If you go to one of Southwark’s parks this weekend for your daily exercise and to enjoy some fresh air, please make sure you:

• only go by yourself or with members of your household
• keep at least two metres away from anyone else
• don’t meet up with friends or family members who you don’t live with
• only go out for exercise once a day.

Thank you to everyone in Southwark who is doing everything they can to help stop the spread of COVID-19. By following the rules we are protecting the NHS and saving lives.

In this newsletter you will find some key updates about council services. You can also check our website for updates at www.southwark.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Cllr Peter John

Do you know a vulnerable resident who needs help?

If you know of a vulnerable Southwark resident who can’t leave the house due to coronavirus (COVID-19), and who may not have friends, family or neighbours who can help with the delivery of essential supplies, please tell us straight away so we can help them.

Waste and recycling collections

Some residents will have experienced missed bin collections, often as a result of agency workers not knowing their patch as well as our normal staff. If these can be reported on our website, it will help us fulfil the collection and improve training to avoid it being repeated.

What you can do to help

• You can help by making sure your bin or bags are in a clearly visible place – we are using more temporary workers who may not always know our routes as well as our experienced collectors.
• Continue to separate recyclable materials from general waste – keep them clean, do not contaminate your recycling and flatten items to take less space.
• If your collection is missed please check our website for any updates on services in case anything has changed.
• Keeping calls and emails to the council to a minimum will help us focus on delivering a good service, and supporting our most vulnerable residents. If you need to please report a missed collection on our website.

Thank you for your patience and support at this difficult time.

Are you worried about domestic abuse?

If you are feeling isolated at home and are worried about domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. The Solace Advocacy and Support Service is available to women and men in Southwark aged 16 or over in Southwark.

Looking after your wellbeing

During this time, you may be bored, frustrated or lonely. You may also feel low, worried, anxious, or be concerned about your health or that of those close to you. Public Health England has produced a new guide to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing during the Coronavirus outbreak.