Some Barnsley Council services 'unable to operate as normal' due to Covid staff absences

Some Barnsley Council services are ‘unable to operate as normal’ as staff are isolating due to Covid infections.
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More than 4,300 people tested positive for Covid in Barnsley between January 10 and 16, according to Government data – a decrease of 24 per cent compared to the previous week.

The leader of Barnsley Council, Sir Steve Houghton CBE, advised residents to get vaccinated and wear face masks, as he warned that some council services are ‘unable to operate’ amid rising rates.

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"We’ve already had some unavoidable disruption to schools due to the absence of teachers, and to our home to school transport service."We’ve already had some unavoidable disruption to schools due to the absence of teachers, and to our home to school transport service.
"We’ve already had some unavoidable disruption to schools due to the absence of teachers, and to our home to school transport service.
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Coun Sir Steve said: “Our staff, like you or any members of the public, are susceptible to COVID-19 and in turn, have to follow the guidance on isolating.

"Despite planning for these situations, we are once again reaching the point where some of our services are unable to operate as normal.

“Many of our services are critical, like children’s services and adult social care, as well as emptying your bins, gritting roads and emergency repairs to potholes.

“When the need arises and where it’s possible, we will sometimes temporarily move staff over from one role to support colleagues in critical front-line services.

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“All of this means some services may take longer than usual, or some may be paused temporarily.”

Sir Steve added that some schools have suffered ‘unavoidable disruption’ due to the absence of teachers and school transport staff.

“We know disruption to services may cause some frustration, but we ask that you bear with us – we’ll keep doing everything we can to keep critical services running,” he added.

“Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.”