Hart District Council are working closely with other key agencies, including Hampshire County Council, to ensure we respond to the national situation.
Hart District Council’s priorities are to
- Support our community and key partners in responding to the emergency
- Ensure the continuity of priority services such as our waste collections and our homelessness services.
As are result, the Council will be changing the way in which it works.
Council Meetings
Overview and Scrutiny Meeting, schedule for this evening (17 March) is cancelled.
Full Council on 26 March, which is due to consider the Local Plan, will continue. Residents are encouraged to watch the meeting online (https://www.facebook.com/HDCLiveStreaming) rather than attend on site. Provisions are in place for social distancing for councillors, staff or any members of the public who attend.
External Meetings
Hart District Council are cancelling a range of external meetings e.g. the Climate Change Workshop due on 19 March and the launch of the newly-refurbished Frogmore Leisure Centre on the 27 March has been put on hold.
Support to Our Community
Support measures for our community include:
Business Rates – we will be writing to all premises with a rateable value less than £51,000 to advise that they do not need to pay this year, and, where direct debits are in place, we are amending these to reflect this.
Hardship Fund – The Chancellor also announced £500 million hardship fund being made available to Councils to provide for their communities. We expect further guidance on any criteria for payments but the Council already has a team of staff ready to help our community, once this in place.
Homelessness – We have a team in place ready to lend support for any people in need.
Voluntary Sector – It has been wonderful to see within our community, the level of spontaneous offers of support. Hart Voluntary Action (https://www.hartvolaction.org.uk/), which manages the volunteer bureau, is capturing these offers.
Hart District Council are awaiting details from Hampshire County Council, which takes a lead on the support and help for the vulnerable, later this week.
