West Lindsey District Council leader praises staff, NHS and public

That is the stark message from West Lindsey District Council leader Coun Giles McNeill who has spoken of his concerns about the threat of Covid-19 - and praised NHS and council staff who have risen to the challenge of keeping services going.

Coun McNeill said: “I am concerned by the daily reports of increased infections and deeply saddened by the deaths reported.

“Everyone who is carrying out the Government’s instruction to stay at home is protecting our NHS and thereby saving lives.

“You are actively protecting yourselves and others, including the most vulnerable in our communities. Thank-you.

“You are sparing families, friends and loved ones the grief being felt throughout the country as people perish because of this disease. Thank-you.

“Together we can beat this disease; if we remain united and resolute, we will overcome it.

“I want to thank everyone across the district in our NHS. I am confident the rest of us are enormously grateful for the selfless way you work on the frontline in the fight against this disease.

“In the weeks and months ahead, I think we will all be able to take satisfaction in how we each responded to this global pandemic.

“And those who follow us will know that the ‘Britons of this generation were as strong as any’, as Her Majesty the Queen said in her broadcast on Sunday night.”

Recognising the pressure businesses are under, Coun McNeill is keen to make sure help is there for them.

He said: “Thanks to a swift response from the government, last week we issued 639 grants to local businesses worth £7,095,000.

“We have received applications from nearly 1,000 businesses but believe that at least a further 600 could be eligible.

“If you’re a business that might be eligible please go online (www.west-lindsey.gov.uk) and complete the declaration so that my team can assess this quickly.”

Coun McNeill said the council was playing its part in supporting hundreds of vulnerable people with the delivery of food parcels and other support, while also continuing to deliver the ‘business-as-usual services’, such as waste collections.

The council is also looking to launch a £100,000 grant funding scheme to support community groups, charities and parish councils helping vulnerable people during the pandemic.

Coun McNeill continued: “The challenge we face is unlike those we have faced before.

“In the fight against this pandemic, we come together, not just locally or nationally, but we find ourselves in common cause with all peoples and all nations across the globe.

“Our faith comforts. Our intellect gives us the tools of science, which are the weapons needed to defeat this disease. But mobilising the science takes time and that is why it is so important to limit the spread of the disease by staying in our homes and only going out for essential reasons.

“I know that self-isolating may be hard at times, particularly for those who live alone. It may be harder still in the coming days to observe the Government’s instruction about staying home and social distancing as the weather improves.

“Nevertheless, it is essential we all follow the Government’s instructions. “Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.”