Arun residents thanked for ‘patience and understanding’ during lockdown

Every person who sleeps rough on the streets of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton has been offered a roof over their heads during the Covid-19 crisis – and almost all have accepted.
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Dr James Walsh, leader of Arun District Council, said he was ‘pleased and encouraged’ by the news because some of the people who accepted help had refused it on other occasions.

While he couldn’t give exact numbers, Dr Walsh said a 90 per cent take-up was expected.

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Like every council up and down the country, Arun has been trying to keep open as many services as possible.

Arun District Council leader James WalshArun District Council leader James Walsh
Arun District Council leader James Walsh

Some 75 per cent of the staff have been working from home and were, said Dr Walsh, coping ‘extraordinarily well’.

He added that, by and large, the vast majority of the public had been ‘very patient, understanding and there’s been very little confrontation’.

Dr Walsh thanked everyone in the Arun district for ‘largely observing the social distancing and other rules and for ceasing to panic buy – which was always unnecessary but clearly is now even more so’.

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He also thanked people who had stepped up to volunteer to help the elderly and vulnerable in the community, adding: “The numbers have overwhelmed the vetting system so there’s about a week’s delay in processing the applications.”

On the subject of community spirit, there was also a compliment for the Prime Minister.

Dr Walsh said: “I couldn’t have said it better than Boris – I don’t often quote him and I’m not a fan – when he said there is such a thing as society.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

While he thought West Sussex County Council, like the government, had been ‘slow in gearing up’ to make sure the help needed was in place in the first week of the crisis, Dr Walsh said there was now a ‘good working partnership’ in place.

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He added: “The major thing is the food distribution network to the vulnerable and the elderly is now in place and should be swinging into action and increasing through this week.”

Naturally, not everything is running as smoothly as usual.

A shortfall in staff means there have been problems with green waste and kerbside recycling collections, leaving many residents facing a two-week wait before the next scheduled pick-up.

A light-hearted suggestion on the council’s Twitter feed that empty milk cartons could be transformed into arts and crafts elephants did not go down too well with one Conservative councillor.

Shaun Gunner called the advice ‘beyond parody’, ‘patronising’ and ‘an embarrassing way to communicate’.

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He added: “People want to understand why they have to wait four weeks and others seemingly don’t.”

Keeping council business open and transparent is on the council’s ever-expanding ‘to-do’ list.

With legislation approved for ‘virtual’ meetings to be held, there are plans to use Skype or Zoom to hold the first development control meeting, with a licensing meeting also in the pipeline.

He added: “Where it’s possible, they will be visible to the public. Certainly on Zoom, the controller can mute people. So you can mute the members of the public so they can’t shout into the meeting, as it were.

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“The technology is there, so I hope they will be able to witness it.

“Certainly the minutes will be published afterwards as well.

“I know that’s not the same as being at the meeting but the minutes will have to be published in the normal way.”

Arun is also working with West Sussex County Council in support of community hubs.

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These are co-ordinating the community response and taking online applications and phone calls identifying the need for support for individuals.

For more information about the coronavirus, the support on offer to businesses and how to either volunteer or request help from the community hub visit www.arun.gov.uk/coronavirus or call 033 022 27980.

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