Coronavirus: Hub to support Peterborough’s most vulnerable; free brown bin collections; community centre forced to close

A joint update from Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council states:

“The hub will have a specific focus on providing access to food, medicines and other supplies in the first instance. As well as co-ordinate the need to make sure there is adequate staff and resource capacity to serve a significant increased level of demand in critical service areas, such as the NHS and social care.

“We’re waiting for guidance and instruction from government in relation to the coordination of food, medicines and other support to the highly vulnerable list, the details of which will be shared with us this week and will draw in all necessary support from our partners, including the military, to support this vital work.”

Further updates from the councils include:

Vivacity

All culture and leisure services provided by Vivacity, including libraries, have now closed in line with government guidance.

Bus service changes in Peterborough from Delaine

. Service 101 (Morton - Bourne - The Deepings - Peterborough) - normal service apart from last bus from Peterborough 19.15, Sunday departures from Peterborough now 10.00, 12.00, 14.00 & 17.00

. Service 102 (The Deepings - Peterborough) - Full Suspension - departures from Peterborough now 07.30, 09.45, 11.15, 12.45 & 14.15

. Service 201 (Bourne - Stamford - Peterborough) - normal operation

. Changes to CallConnect service - CallConnect is a bus service for rural communities which can be requested by pre-booking only. The times the buses operate will be unaffected. However, the call centre that users phone to request a service will be reducing its opening hours by one hour at the end of each day. These temporary changes will help the service ensure it has sufficient staffing levels. The revised opening hours will be:

. Mon-Fri - CallConnect emergencies and cancellations: 8am-6pm, Drivers: 6.30am-6pm, Main booking service: 8.30am-5.30pm (Welland and North Lincs 8am-5pm).

. Saturday - CallConnect emergencies and cancellations: 8am-5pm, Drivers: 7.30am-5pm, Main booking service: 9am-4.30pm (Welland and North Lincs 8.30am-4pm).

Community centres

Gladstone Park Community Centre will be closed from today (Monday) until further notice because of the impact of Covid-19. All bookings have been cancelled until the end of April in the first instance, and arrangements are being made for staff to continue to be available remotely to take enquiries during the centre’s normal opening hours.

Other community centres in Peterborough have closed and the council said it “suggests they all consider doing the same in order to keep staff and our communities safe. Our hub will work alongside community centre groups and ensure we can reach everyone who needs our support at this difficult time”.

Schools

The councils said they have contacted schools and early years settings across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to clarify the national position on school closures and key workers.

They said: “The message from government is clear - if it is possible for children to be at home safely, then they should be. Parents should not rely on, or ask for, childcare to be provided by anyone who should be stringently social distancing, such as grandparents or those with underlying health conditions. Schools will be asked to provide optional care for those children who are deemed to be vulnerable.”

Garden waste collections in Peterborough

Peterborough City Council said: “Anyone signed up to receive garden waste collections will no longer need to renew this service in April. Subscriptions will automatically be extended until July free of charge and the recurring direct debits will be paused.

“During this period no new subscribers will be able join the service and collections frequency will reduce to monthly. This will enable the council and Aragon Direct Services to prioritise collection of green recycling, black residual and grey food caddie bins for all residents.

Peterborough Bereavement Service – Peterborough Crematorium

The following changes will be taking place:

. Funerals - Following government advice there is currently no ban on funeral gatherings, however, for chapel services families are asked to consider restricting attendance to close family and friends only.

If anyone is unable to attend a service due to self-isolation or underlying health problems, a live web cam facility is available at a reduced cost throughout this period. For further information in regards to this, contact your funeral director.

. Bereavement Services - This will change to an appointment only based service. Contact the team on 01733 262639 to make an appointment or for advice. For more details visit: https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/residents/births-deaths-and-ceremonies/memorials.