More than 90 per cent of Council services in Plymouth are now available despite the nationwide disruption caused by COVID-19.
Most services are now operating with measures to ensure the safety of customers and staff and plans are in place for resuming the remainder in line with Government guidance.
While many Council services, such as refuse collections, continued throughout Covid-19, some had to be suspended in line with the Government instructions to stop the virus spreading.
The majority of Council staff have been working from home, with many redeployed to critical series such as contacting vulnerable residents who were shielding to ensure they received the support they needed, providing supplies of PPE to care homes and quickly organising urgent grants for hundreds of Plymouth businesses.
Most office based Council employees continue to work from home in line with Government guidance.
Refuse collections have been maintained through COVID-19 and to ensure this could be continued with fewer staff available garden waste collections were suspended. Garden waste collections will now start by 24 August.
Chelson Meadow Household Recycling Centre is open with social distancing measures in place and vans are now being allowed from this week. Staff resources are being prioritised on operating this site safely, so the smaller centre at Weston Mill remains closed.
All public toilets are now open and additional temporary toilets have been installed on the Hoe and Barbican due to the increase in visitors following the easing of the lockdown measures.
The 1st Stop Shop in New George Street is being prioritised for supporting the homeless and remains closed for visitors with other enquiries to ensure safe social distancing. Other enquiries can been made online or through the contact centre.
Our digital library service, which includes loans of ebooks, magazines and audiobooks, saw a huge rise in use during the COVID-19 lockdown. Four city libraries are now offering a select and collect service and we are working on plans to enable further limited access to libraries from next month.
All play areas and parks are open, as well as tennis courts and skate parks.
Car parks have remained open through the COVID-19 pandemic and were free for key workers. Charges have been resumed and measures put in place to end cash payments in place of card and app payments to prevent customers and staff from having to handle cash.
The Tourist Information Centre on the Barbican is open.
The Government has now announced that outdoor pools can open. This came without warning and there is a lot of work to be do before Tinside Lido and Mount Wise pools can open. We are working with our leisure provider to ensure this can happen as soon as possible.
For the latest information about Council services please check our COVID-19 website.