Mansfield District Council announces temporary changes to services due to coronavirus

Mansfield District Council says the measures are in line with current advice from the Government to help keep the community safe and well.

In a statement the council said it had decided to limit face-to-face contact to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 among the community and its employees.

The changes, from Tuesday, March 17, will see the council remain open, but it will only deal with urgent customer enquiries in person.

It will continue to provide priority services for residents and businesses, particularly for the "vulnerable."

All non-essential travel, meetings and training or make alternative arrangements such as tele-conferencing is being advised for employees.

The authority said it had "been working hard" to put the measures in place to enable office-based employees to work from home, where possible.

Council employees are advised to cancel all non-essential travel, meetings and training or make alternative arrangements such as tele-conferencing where possible.

Employees delivering public facing services such as housing repairs, street cleansing and waste and recycling will continue, but this may change in line with the latest Government advice.

It also plans to postpone delegated decisions and council meetings and asks councillors to support ward members from home.

Hayley Barsby, Chief Executive of Mansfield District Council, said: “We feel that this is the right thing to do at this time.

"It gives us a better chance of reducing the risk of the spread of coronavirus among both our local community and our employees.

"We are proactively screening our face-to-face calls by asking customers if they are currently self-isolating and taking action accordingly.

“We know these are worrying and unsettling times for everyone.

"I want to reassure the public and our employees that while safety is our top priority, we are doing all we can to find ways to continue providing vital services, particularly for vulnerable service users.”

For information on services check the website www.mansfield.gov.uk or call 01623 463463 (or 01623 463050 for emergencies outside of office hours.