Burgess Hill Town Council makes £10,000 available ‘to be used wherever needed’ during coronavirus pandemic

It announced the emergency plan this week and confirmed it was working closely with local organisations such as the foodbank, Neighbourly Care and Age UK.

It said it was also offering support and advice to Burgess Hill Helper Army – a Facebook group set up in wake of the Covid-19 virus.

A town council spokesman said: “Plans are well underway to bring various organisations into a town Emergency Committee to coordinate the town’s relief effort.

“The town council has helped the Food Bank find new premises and has put its maintenance team on standby to deliver food and other supplies to the vulnerable if needed.

“Unfortunately they are unable to do personal shopping but we will liaise with organisations that can perform this service.

“The Help Point continues to take calls and answer emails and will assist with coordinating measures if needed.

“A further initiative which is being worked on is the provision of frozen food to the vulnerable. Freezers have been sourced and if needed will be installed at a central depot from which food may be collected or distributed.

“While many council staff members work from home, arrangements have been made to hold virtual meetings meaning planning meetings will continue and important issues which may arise can be debated.

“Members of the public are encouraged to email concerns regarding planning matters to council@burgesshill,gov.uk and these will be considered at the meeting.

“Our councillors are set up to meet regularly via Skype and have held their first meeting.

“It is hoped that a change to legislation will enable the holding of virtual council meetings as well.

“In the meantime a variety of initiatives are being planned to replace events such as the festival and summer fayre. More details of these will be released once it is clear that we are all safe once more.”

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy.

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: “Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role.”

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

In addition, please write to your MP urging the Government to provide some additional financial support for local newspapers and their websites like this one and ensuring that supermarkets continue to stock them. I cannot stress enough how important such an intervention would be.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.