Perth and Kinross will come out of lockdown stronger than when it went in thanks to the community effort of its residents, the council’s chief executive has said.
Local residents will play a key role in helping Perth and Kinross emerge stronger from the Coronavirus crisis, according to Karen Reid.
The drastic changes to life this year have prompted the council to review how it runs many of its services, and chiefs want to hear from residents to know how they’d like to see the fresh start go.
Speaking as the UK enters its eighth week of lockdown, the local authority boss said the “goodwill, generosity and positivity” of residents had shown them to be “true heroes” during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms Reid said: “It’s already clear that we will not quickly be returning to the way things were before.
“At the council, we are starting to think about how we can provide services differently in the future and we will need your help with this.
“We will be carrying out a formal consultation to inform recovery and renewal, so please do take part and let us know how the outbreak has affected you, what has made it easier, and what still needs to change.
“In the meantime, if you would like to share your ideas for renewal and how we can work together so that everyone in Perth and Kinross can live life well.”
With glimmers of services which ran in the past beginning to show on a horizon of uncertainty, the council boss stressed those running the local authority don’t have all the answers.
However, having seen the resilient community efforts to look after vulnerable residents, fundraising for health and care services and widespread compliance with social distancing guidelines, Ms Reid says that Perth and Kinross residents will be among the best-placed to come out of lockdown, when it is safe to do so.
She added: “We don’t know exactly what lies ahead. But we can make sure we are resilient and ready for change.
“The past weeks have shown that the people of Perth and Kinross are true heroes, willing to do anything and everything they can to help.
“And we have learnt, too, that everybody has something to offer. It is this attitude and mindset that makes me confident we will emerge from this crisis stronger than before.”
“A specially set-up Community Welfare and Resilience team, made up of more than 70 colleagues who would normally be working in other services, has dealt with more than 2,500 enquiries so far, covering an area of over 5,000 square km and over 140 villages and towns as well as Perth city.
“That includes people who needed foodpacks, shielded folk, those can’t leave their homes because they’re isolating – the queries have been varied and the team has found solutions to issues that nobody had predicted, as well as many that we had.”
