Council leader praises response to severe weather
Posted on Monday 5th March 2018
Councillor Debbie Wilcox
I would like to extend my thanks and recognition to the public servants, emergency responders, partnership agencies and volunteers who have given their all over the last few days.
Firstly, my thanks to council workers in all parts of the city who have been working incredibly hard clearing roads, caring for the elderly and maintaining services in such poor weather conditions.
We worked hard to plan ahead, responded to weather forecasts and implemented contingency plans well in advance of this extraordinary weather event.
A committed workforce is local government’s most valuable asset, and they have truly done us proud through their efforts, especially over the last few days.
Services ranging from housing, home and residential care, to road maintenance, waste collection and everything in between has shown how incredibly valuable they are to residents’ lives. When local government funding is cut, these are the day-to-day services which are put at real risk, and that is why local government cannot afford to bear the brunt of further cuts to essential services.
I’d also like to thank the many hundreds of colleagues across the emergency services that have kept our city running and cared for the most vulnerable. Without them there would be a very different story to tell.
The work of our partners is also key to supporting our most vulnerable, such as the provision of shelter for the homeless. These services continued throughout the worst of the weather and their staff and volunteers remained committed at all times.
And last but not least, thank you to all the volunteers and good friends and neighbours who offered help in their communities. There have been some really great stories from across the city of people supporting each other during this time and it is great to see our community spirit continues to run strong.
Councillor Debbie Wilcox, Leader of Newport City Council