Wellington Town Council has agreed £10,000 for an initial package of measures to help combat the effects of the Coronavirus emergency on local people. The money will:

Help fund any extra demand on Wellington Food Bank, with a promise of more funding to be made available if needed.

Pay for a leaflet which will be distributed to households advising whom to contact if residents need help from the council.

Provide more laptops and mobile phones as the town council ramps up its IT capacity so staff and councillors can be more easily contacted and can work remotely in the event of self-isolation or lockdown.

Co-ordinate efforts to help vulnerable people falling under the radar of the adult social care system.

Wellington’s Mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd, said as well as distributing literature as widely as possible, the town council would shortly be publishing phone numbers and email addresses online for people to reach councillors to request help.

Members of the town council have also agreed they will not hold their monthly meetings at the United Reformed Church, in Fore Street, nor any committee meetings, until further notice.

Instead, ‘virtual’ meetings will be held online where possible and/or councillors will make comments on agenda items by email.

Decisions on spending items up to £5,000 have been delegated to town clerk Kathryn Hemensley, in consultation if possible with Cllr Lloyd and/or Deputy Mayor Cllr Mark Lithgow.

Councillors will also vote on planning applications via email.

Councillors also expressed appreciation for the objectives of two local volunteering initiatives – a group set up on Facebook and a new volunteering website – which seek to support people during the crisis.

For the full story see this week’s Wellington Weekly News.