Rutland Council says in just one week its benefits and revenues team has dealt with more than 5,000 emails from people seeking support.

The council has also redeployed staff from areas that are not operational at the moment to increase capacity in areas of greatest demand.

However, many parts of the council are still working, he said.

Coun Hemsley has explained in detail in an Easter Message as shown below:

"With Easter around the corner, I wanted to thank Rutland residents for remaining in their homes and adhering to the government's direction to 'Stay Home and Save Lives'.

Easter is traditionally a time when families and friends come together. Sadly, this year, it's imperative that this does not happen, however tempting it may be. This is to protect each other and the NHS. So, to reiterate the words of the government campaign: please "don't give more than chocolate this weekend" and please continue to stay home.

I have always been proud of the strength and resilience in our communities, but never more so than in these challenging times. Our villages and towns have come together to make sure we are supporting one another and see that residents who are vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19 – whatever their age – are protected.

Our teams at Rutland County Council are undertaking an incredible amount of work to ensure those who are shielding and socially isolated have access to medicines, food and the support they need.

Many of our staff have been redeployed from areas that are not operational at the moment, to increase capacity. This is allowing us to respond to enquiries and meet the needs of all who are relying on us at this time – both residents and businesses.

The volume of enquiries we have received has been phenomenal. In just one week our Revenues and Benefits team, who are responsible for providing financial support to individuals, families and businesses, received in excess of 5,000 emails from people seeking help.

Although some of our services have closed their doors for the time being and staff resources diverted to support our Covid-19 response, many of our business-as-usual activities are still continuing. From our planning teams and refuse collectors to our safeguarding teams, we have many hidden heroes who are working hard to ensure all our residents' needs are met during this time.

Even though some of our staff will have the chance to take a much needed break over the Easter period, many of our teams will carry on working to support those affected by Covid-19 and deliver our regular service offering. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank them and remind them just how much their work is valued and appreciated.

If you have a problem over the Easter period because you can't get access food or medicines and have nobody who can help you, please don't forget you can call our crisis helpline from 9.00am to 8.00pm on 01572 729603.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Easter and thank you for staying home to save lives."

Councillor Oliver Hemsley