Playing our part during the Coronavirus pandemic

Working with communities

Recruited 2,100 volunteers and encouraged neighbour to neighbour support
Establishing a community response fund of £250,000 to support community groups
Centralised food resources to ensure food is available to residents in the short and medium term - a partnership between the Welcome Network, food banks, Cheshire West Voluntary Action, Changing Lives Together and supported by Cheshire Connect.
Offered all rough sleepers a place to stay with around 164 individuals now in accommodation
Prepared to manage the increase in bereavements to ensure dignity for the bereaved and their families

More than 70 per cent of staff are working away from an office base, continuing to deliver services
We created webforms quickly to help residents transact with us
Increased digital support by adapting our web chatbot and allocating more staff to online webchats
Introduced virtual public meetings

Moved staff from other areas of the Council to increase resource
Trained workforce with new guidance and practice standards
New Hospital Discharge Service guidance from Government implemented across acute hospitals
Increased services to support NHS, e.g. supporting people after a hospital stay to return to release hospital beds
Moved critical teams to seven days a week working
Refocused mental health teams to telephone calls and practical support to new and existing service users
Provided 1,091 food parcels to shielded residents and arranged for the delivery of medication
Made 9,462 calls to, and answered 2,626 calls from, shielded residents
Worked with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service to visit vulnerable residents
Gave financial support to adult social care providers that is forecast to cost up to £2.4 million plus funding of £6.1 million already budgeted for
Distributed 111,106 masks, 84,171 aprons, 1,903 litres of hand sanitiser and 10,675 pairs of goggles

Handled 1,500 electronic/online enquiries
Over 2,800 new users registered for e-lending (e-books, e-magazines, e-newspapers, audio downloads)

Reshaped our approach to maintain key repairs and maintenance safely, and deliver improvement schemes during times of quieter road
Worked with bus operators and residents to maintain routes for key workers where possible
Introduced two zero emissions street-cleansing machines to clean streets with high pressure water and disinfectant
Supported the new waste and recycling company to adapt quickly to make sure domestic and recycling rounds could continue whilst protecting staff

Shared thousands of social media posts gaining 4.5 million social media impressions
Advertised on local radio and in local newspapers
Issued 115 media releases
Launched Inspire Cheshire West to support communities to exchange ideas, good practice and gratitude for community driven support
Sent information postcards to 161,875 households

Handled 1,800 COVID-19 related business enquiries
Supported 583 Council commercial tenants with a three-month rent deferment
Enabled 94 new customers to improve their employability through our Work Zones, 45 of those have found work
Organised payment of £65.875m million to 5,437 businesses - around 91.2 per cent of eligible businesses have received grants so far
Arranged hardship funding, totalling £2.44 million to support 5,891 people that need help
Mobilised our Help in Emergencies for Local People (HELP) team to support with food or fuel for vulnerable including issuing over 400 additional foodbank vouchers

Supported schools and around a third of early years settings to stay open
Ensured permanently excluded and medical needs students have a care offer
Our Virtual School has funded extra IT equipment for all schools where our Children in Care attend

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