COVID-19 Updates

In line with the Government’s recent ending of some COVID restrictions, the Town Hall will be open again to the public from Friday 21 January 2022.  All our services continue to run as normal.

In line with the Government’s recent announcement regarding COVID restrictions, we will unfortunately have to close the Town Hall to visitors with effect from Monday 13 December 2021.  This will allow some staff to work from home and reduce the risk to staff who remain working in the office covering essential duties.  However, we will remain fully contactable to the public by telephone and by email.  All our outdoor spaces and play areas remain fully open and all other Council services will continue.  We remain very grateful to local residents for their efforts in keeping both themselves and our staff as safe as possible.

In line with the Government’s relaxation of most COVID restrictions, we are fully opening the Town Hall offices to visitors as of Wednesday 20 July 2021.  However, we are requesting all visitors to continue to socially distance where possible and to use hand sanitiser.  We want to keep our visitors and staff as safe as possible and in light of the rising number of COVID cases, we feel that this is the responsible thing to do.  We will also be asking visitors to provide us with their name and a contact number so that we can get in touch with them in the event that we have any confirmed COVID cases.  Although there is no legal obligation to collect these details, the government are advising organisations to do so.  Again, we feel this is the responsible thing to do.

Our outdoor spaces and play areas are now fully open.  Again, we would ask those visiting these areas to be cautious.  We continue to be very grateful to local residents for their efforts in keeping both themselves and our staff as safe as possible.

From Monday 12th April 2021 the Town Hall will be open to the public by appointment. An appointment system allows us to maintain social distancing within the building and entrance. Please contact us by phone on 01454 412 103 or by email at info@thornburytowncouncil.gov.uk to arrange a time.

In line with government timescales on reopening, the outdoor gym equipment is open, and the Tennis Courts are also available for use.

We would like to thank you for your co-operation in following Government guidance in order to reduce the risk to the public and to our staff.

The Government has announced that from Tuesday 5 January 2021 the country must enter into a national lockdown.  As throughout most of the pandemic, the majority of Thornbury Town Council’s activities can continue to operate under COVID-19 risk assessments.

The play areas around Thornbury can remain open, as well as the public toilets at the Mundy Playing Fields.  The outdoor gym and the public tennis courts will, however, have to close in line with Government instructions.

The Town Hall will also need to close to visitors again.  However, staff will remain working to ensure that Council activities can continue.  Staff can be contacted either by telephone on 01454 412103, by email at info@thornburytowncouncil.gov.uk or via our website.

We continue to be very grateful to the residents of Thornbury for their co-operation in following Government guidance in order to reduce the risk to themselves and to our staff.

Further information on the national lockdown can be found on the Government’s website by clicking on the following link – https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

The Government has confirmed that South Gloucestershire will enter Tier 3 (Very High Alert) restrictions from Wednesday 2 December 2020.

The vast majority of Thornbury Town Council’s activities will continue to operate under our existing COVID-19 risk assessments and safe ways of working.

There are a few changes that will occur:-

• the public tennis courts at the Mundy Playing Fields will reopen
• the outdoor gym area at the Mundy Playing Fields will reopen
• the Town Hall will reopen to visitors, although this will continue to be by appointment only

If you need to visit the Town Hall for any reason, please call us on 01454 412103 to make an appointment.  This ensures that we can put the necessary arrangements in place to help you and our staff to be as safe as possible.

We can also be contacted via email at info@thornburytowncouncil.gov.uk.

We continue to be very grateful to the residents of Thornbury for their co-operation in following Government guidance in order to reduce the risk to themselves and to our staff.

Further information on Tier 3 restrictions can be found on the Government’s website by clicking on the following link – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert

The Government recently announced new guidance on COVID-19 to come into effect from Thursday 5 November 2020.  This will not affect the vast majority of Council’s activities, which will continue under existing COVID-19 risk assessments and safe ways of working.

There are two main areas that are affected by the change in guidance.  The first is that the outdoor gym equipment and the public tennis courts at the Mundy Playing Fields will need to close.  The second is that the Town Hall will need to close to visitors.  The Town Hall will remain staffed during normal office hours and staff can be contacted by telephone on 01454 412103 or by email at info@thornburytowncouncil.gov.uk.  We are very happy to help with any queries you may have and all other Council operations will continue as usual.

As always, we are very grateful for the co-operation of Thornbury residents in following the guidance and helping to keep themselves and our staff as safe as possible.

Thank you.

THE “RULE OF SIX” APPLIES TO PLAY AREAS AND PLAYING FIELDS

New guidance from the Government states that from Monday 14 September 2020 you must not meet with people from other households socially in groups of more than six. This applies indoors and outdoors. This new guidance therefore applies in all of the play areas and playing fields that are looked after by Thornbury Town Council.  We would therefore ask all visitors to our play areas and playing fields to abide by this new guidance and help to keep yourselves and other people as safe as possible. Thank you.

There are some exceptions to this rule set out in the new guidance e.g. organised sports clubs, but any such groups should ensure that they have relevant paperwork with them to show that they are exempt.

The Town Council, like other organisations, has had to adapt and change at a great pace in response to the COVID 19 global pandemic. Council Staff have continued to work throughout the pandemic in order to continue to deliver the Council’s vital services within Thornbury such as the operation (including paperwork processes) of the Cemetery, and the maintenance and management of all its outside assets and buildings. I am very proud of the way our staff have responded, with many working extra hours and we have managed to meet statutory deadlines for items such as our end of year accounts, which all had to be carried out remotely under difficult circumstances at a time when things were very uncertain and frightening. The Council only cancelled one full Town Council meeting which was scheduled for the day after lockdown began and quickly adopted new legislation and methods to replace this with an extra meeting the following month and have now held all full Council meetings on Zoom, including the AGM (which it would have been allowed to postpone under the emergency legislation). These meetings have been advertised to the public and we have had members of the public in attendance at these meetings. Many other Town and Parish Councils have simply closed for the entire period.

As with other organisations we have faced the challenges of a reduced work force due to staff shielding and those who have caring responsibilities and expected annual leave. As such, we are required to continually assess for safe working conditions in order to keep our staff and the Public safe.

As you may be aware, the Government has been slowly releasing guidance on how and when different places should open during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Council officers have been very busy reading through all relevant guidance and seeking advice from national bodies such as NALC (National Association of Local Councils) and SLCC (Society of Local Council Clerks). The advice from these organisations is that Town Council meetings should not yet be held in public as this would go against Government advice and so the Town Hall is not required to be opened for this reason.

We have been carrying out the Covid-19 risk assessments on our facilities such as play parks, skate park and the Town Hall and preparations have been made for reopening. These include screens that have been fitted within the office to facilitate the correct social distancing, removal of all papers within the Tourist Information Centre and from the counter as we are not allowed to give out non-essential papers, new hand sanitizer dispensers at essential points, deep cleaning of the building, servicing to the lift, legionella risk assessments, etc, which are all essential activities that must be carried out before the reopening of buildings and facilities to the public. You can find our risk assessment on the webpage.

We are pleased to announce that we will be opening the Town Council by appointment only from 3 September 2020, so if you require a refund on a ticket, a meeting about cemetery arrangements or any other service that we provide, please call us on 01454 412103 to make an appointment.  You can also still contact us by email – info@thornburytowncouncil.gov.uk

We are very pleased to confirm that Thornbury Town Council’s play areas, skatepark and outdoor gym will be open from Friday 17 July 2020.  Thank you for bearing with us while the necessary risk assessments were carried out and some pieces of equipment safely removed to allow visitors to follow social distancing guidelines.  We would ask you to read and adhere to the temporary signage that has been placed in or near each area.  We would also ask you to adhere to the following when visiting any of our play areas:

• Please follow the current social distancing guidelines when visiting and encourage your children to do the same.
• If the play area is busy, consider coming back at a later time.  Talk to your children about this possibility before visiting.
• Wash your and your children’s hands before and after visiting.  Take hand sanitiser with you and consider taking a bottle of water in case your children’s hands get covered in mud.  Ensure your children use hand sanitiser frequently.
• Follow and adhere to all current government advice in addition to the above guidance.

Below are links to the temporary signage that is being put up in the play areas, skatepark and outdoor gym.
Play Areas Signage 1    *    Play Areas Signage 2    *   Outdoor Gym Signage   *    Skatepark Signage

Below are links to the risk assessments that have been carried out for each of the play areas, and the skatepark and outdoor gym.
Mundy Playing Fields Play Area Risk Assessment   *    Chantry Play Area (Tilting Road) Risk Assessment    *
Outdoor Gym Risk Assessment    *     Eastland Avenue Play Area Risk Assessment   *
Osprey Park Play Area Risk Assessment   *     Streamleaze Play Area Risk Assessment