Coronavirus update: Surrey County Council services

Date: 

Friday, 27 March, 2020

(News source: published on behalf of Surrey County Council)

A number of Surrey County Council’s services are now impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak, and government guidance to slow its spread, protecting vulnerable people and key services and workers.

Updates on the services it is running to help people, and services impacted by the changes, are below.

Community Helpline

Surrey County Council’s Community Helpline on 0300 200 1008 is to help direct residents who need support such as picking up shopping, prescription collections or having someone who can be a telephone friend, to services who can help. It also aims to provide advice to residents on where they can register an offer of help to support their community.

For full information on the Community Helpline, and other Coronavirus advice and support, please visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/coronavirus

Countryside car parks

The council’s countryside site car parks are closed as they are a place where groups can and were forming in the last week despite government guidance on social distancing. This is in line with government advice, and consistent with other major countryside landowners, including RHS Wisley, National Trust, Forestry Commission, which have either closed car parks, or closed altogether.

While residents can still visit the countryside, they should be staying at home. If any residents are going out once a day for exercise they should visit quiet locations close to their homes and not travel.

Trading standards

There are reports of numerous Coronavirus scams, including ones which offer miracle cures or home testing kits, and emails offering refunds on taxes or business rates.

Residents should remember to never invite people they don’t know into their homes, pay upfront for services or offers of shopping, or give out bank details. Please look out for vulnerable people in your communities if potential scammers are in the area.

Please remember to not be rushed into making a decision, be sceptical, don’t be afraid to hang up, bin it, delete it or shut the door.

For more advice visit the ‘stay connected’ page at www.surreycc.gov.uk/coronavirus

Community recycling centres

All 15 of Surrey’s community recycling centres are closed. If residents are gardening or having a clear out, please hold onto excess waste until services are back to normal.

Roadworks

Key repair and maintenance highways works are continuing through the coronavirus restrictions. This is to make sure that the road network remains safe for those who still need to travel.

Other works, such as resurfacing, are being paused.  Some works are in the middle of construction and these will need to continue until they are safe enough to be stopped. For more details visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/roadworks

Surrey County Council offices

Our offices remain open for key staff only. The reception desks are closed, so no members of the public should visit.

Libraries

All libraries and the Surrey History Centre are closed, all events have been cancelled and existing reservations are extended to July.

The service’s digital services already provide free ebooks, eaudio, emagazines and newspapers as well as other resources that can be accessed at home.

To access the libraries digital services, visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/libraries

Registration services

There are currently no marriage or civil partnership ceremonies, or birth registration appointments.

Only essential people should be attending appointments to register a death. The number of people in the registration room will be a maximum of two. Please reschedule appointments if you’re feeling unwell or are self isolating.

For information, and to reschedule appointments, visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/registration

Parking restrictions

As most residents are staying at home, single yellow line parking restrictions in quiet residential roads are not being enforced. Residents should check with their district or borough council to find out about any flexible arrangements for council car parks, or if temporary parking permits are being issued.

Parking on double yellow lines, zig zags and single yellow lines on main roads and in town centres will be enforced as normal for safety reasons.

For more details visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/parking

Visit Surrey County Council Coronavirus webpages for full service information