Covid-19 Support & Information – Updates On Elmbridge Borough Council’s Services

Coronavirus Update – 27th March 2020

This information reflects the Prime Minister’s statement of 23 March explaining enhanced restrictions on movement.

Information on all our services is available on our website. You can also pay for any services through our website.

Due to the latest Government advice regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we have made the following changes to services.
Please also note the information about our open spaces.

Cancellations

The following have been cancelled until further notice:

• Children and family events (including countryside and museum events) 

• Community transport

• Council meetings, including planning committee meetings

• Dementia services – social groups and sitting service.  Support will be provided through welfare phone checks for carers who use this service.

• Easter Shout! holiday activities (full refunds will be given on existing Easter Shout! bookings.) 

• Food hygiene course: the next in-house food hygiene course, but e-learning courses are still available.

• Healthy walks and cycle rides

• Open spaces bookings: Existing and new bookings on Elmbridge open spaces, including football pitch and cricket square hire, bootcamps, filming and public events

• Royston Pike lectures

• Surrey Youth Games training sessions and the weekend Games 

• Voluntary Sector Forum

Closures

The following facilities are currently closed until further notice:

• Centres for the Community

• Civic Centre – closed to the public

• Hurst Pool

• Halls – Playhouse, King Georges Hall, Vine Hall, Elmgrove

• Play areas

• Sports Hub

• Tennis courts

• Xcel Leisure Complex

All sporting fixtures and training have now been postponed by the sports governing bodies. For more information do not hesitate to contact your local sports clubs directly.

Changes to service delivery

There are some service delivery changes in place for:

• Care and Repair Elmbridge (CARE)
• Green spaces maintenance

• Green spaces car park opening hours                   

• Handyperson service

• Housing services (homeless prevention/advice, social and supported housing, private rented sector, temporary accommodation)

• Licensing – alcohol and entertainment licences       

• Licensing – Taxi and private hire licences

• Licensing – Street and house-to-house collections      

• Meals on wheels           

• Parking: charges suspended on all council car parks until 14 April 

• Planning services  Update:as the upcoming planning committees have been cancelled, we are prioritising setting up virtual meetings so that we can continue to make decisions that support the Elmbridge community.

  We will let you know the details ASAP. 

• Community Infrastructure Levy: funding boards due to held in June have been cancelled.

Waste collection

• We have had no reports of disruption to the waste collection service.

• Anyone in self isolation should refer to guidance on waste disposal.

Local foodbanks

We have agreed to provide £10,000 which will be shared between the three local food banks to help their support of vulnerable people at this unsettling time.

Useful links and advice

• Support for businesses

• Business rates information

• Tips to help stop the spread of coronavirus  
• More coronavirus information    

Coronavirus Update – 19th March 2020

Elmbridge Centres for the Community to close but support for customers remains

We have decided to close our centres for the community for the wellbeing of our customers. These centres are based at Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames, Thames Ditton, Hersham, Cobham, Claygate and Molesey and support older and vulnerable people in our community.

From 4.30pm on Friday 20 March these Centres will close for the foreseeable future. The Thames Ditton Centre will close at 4.30pm on Thursday 19 March.

However, we remain committed to supporting those who rely on our centres. We are contacting each centre user to ask if they would like a meals-on-wheels delivery and/or a ‘check-in call’ once a week.

If you would like to volunteer to support our meals-on-wheels effort please contact us on 01372 474 552 or email commservices@elmbridge.gov.uk. All meals-on-wheels volunteers must have their own car.

Please note that our meals-on-wheels volunteers only visit homes at agreed times.

Leisure and Cultural Services

We have made the decision to cancel the following leisure events and programmes until further notice:

• Healthy Walks and Cycle Rides
• Children and Family events (including countryside and museum events)
• Royston Pike lectures
• Surrey Youth Games training sessions

All sporting fixtures and training have now been postponed by the sports governing bodies. For more information do not hesitate to contact your local sports clubs directly.

For the time being, the Xcel Leisure Complex, Hurst Pool and local public halls remain open to the public.
Extra measures have been taken to keep members and the public as safe as possible. We have ensured that all surfaces are thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis and taken every possible precaution to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Payment For Elmbridge BC Services

You can pay for any council services through our website.

Waste collection

We have had no reports of disruption to this service. Anyone in self isolation should refer to guidance on waste disposal.

Business Rates

We are aware of changes to Business Rates announced in the Government’s budget on 11 March 2020 and subsequent Parliamentary updates, including changes to retail discount, pub discount, a 12-month payment holiday for certain business use and the availability of grants in certain circumstances. We are awaiting further details from Government on all these measures and will update our web pages once details and operational procedures have been established. Thank you for your patience.

Local foodbanks

We have agreed to provide £10,000 which will be shared between the three local food banks to help their support of vulnerable people at this unsettling time.

Business support

Following the Chancellor’s announcement, we are working together with national government and the business support organisations, including the Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses to ensure our borough is kept up to date with developments and to provide as much support as possible. Read more on our business support page.

Housing services

Our handyperson service is operating on a restricted basis with limited home visits. However, to support the NHS, our handyperson will continue to carry out small jobs at residents’ homes so that they can be safely discharged from hospital.

Useful links and advice

Tips to help stop the spread of coronavirus