West Berkshire Council: Support for West Berkshire residents during the new national restrictions scheduled for 5 November to 2 December

Anyone who needs help should contact the Community Support Hub on: 01635 503579, by email: westberksbct@westberks.gov.uk or via the online form: www.westberks.gov.uk/SupportHub. The Community Support Hub is open between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Thursday, or between 8.30am and 4.30pm on Friday.

Councillor Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council, said:

“The Government is set to bring in new national restrictions in England to help control the spread of COVID-19 and ease the burden on the NHS, as announced on 31 October. At the end of this period, the Government aims return to a regional approach, based on the latest data.

“We are fully committed to supporting our residents and businesses who will be adversely impacted by these new national restrictions. Although not as restrictive as the national lockdown we’ve had earlier this year, we understand that these new measures will still be very disappointing news for many residents and businesses, especially as certain businesses and venues will be required to temporarily close.

“We ask that clinically extremely vulnerable residents or those struggling financially to please call our Community Support Hub if support is needed; we are here to help. We are also continuing to work closely with our partners, including Volunteer Centre West Berkshire and Greenham Trust, to support the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In addition, we are fully committed to providing support for local businesses. This will include the allocation of two new economic support grants from the Government. As soon as we have finalised how these grants will be administered, we will post information on www.westberks.govuk/coronavirus-business. We will work quickly to allocate the grants to support businesses in need, as we did earlier in the year.

“In the meantime, we would like to thank everyone in the West Berkshire community once again for their support by following the rules which are imperative to staying safe and saving lives.”