Council workers face increasing abuse amid coronavirus pandemic

Council staff are being spat at, racially abused and attacked while delivering essential services amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.

A Southend community support officer, who was enforcing the government’s social distancing guidelines, is said to be the latest victim in a series of incidents after a cyclist rode into him, breaking the officer’s leg on Thursday.

Recycling workers, park groundskeepers, civil enforcement officers, road engineers and bus drivers have also been targeted in a recent spate of abuse, Southend-on-sea borough council said.

“I hope the police are quick to catch the offending cyclist and any other perpetrators using the full force of the law to protect our workers,” said councillor Martin Terry, cabinet member for community safety and customer care.

In Swindon, staff at a recycling centre were spat and at sworn last weekend after the service was restricted to essential visits only. In a Facebook post, the council said: “This behaviour isn’t acceptable at anytime, not least in the current circumstances.”

While in Northampton, bus drivers and road maintenance staff have been shouted at by members of the public confused as to why they are still working on the highways. “Emergency services and key workers still need to use the road network so we need to maintain it,” Northampton Highways communications manager Rebeca Miller told the Chronicle and Echo.

Avon and Somerset police are also investigating reports that a Bristol council worker was racially abused by a man in relation to the Covid-19 outbreak last Friday.

“It’s unacceptable, and it has to stop,” said LGA chairman councillor James Jamieson. “I am appalled because, in the current crisis, people are working very, very hard and pulling together. I am seeing an increase across the country in workers going the extra mile and working seven days a week.”

He spoke of councils redeploying librarians to call centres while those working in sports and leisure are acting as drivers in a bid to ensure “high priority” frontline services are being met, including social care for the elderly and vulnerable children.

“A number of councils have stopped bulky waste collections … that can be stored at home for a while. We are less able to do inspections in terms of planning and food safety, we are having to do that virtually.”

He urged the former care workers or those who may have recently lost their jobs to contact the local council to provide social care.

The increase of abuse comes as some councils across the UK have scaled back on some services – including reducing bin collections, and shutting recycling centres.

In North Yorkshire, all tips have been closed to ensure staff safety while parking enforcement has been relaxed.

Brighton and Hove City council has temporarily suspended kerbside recycling collections amid “very limited staff,” with many self-isolating and working from home.

Last week there were “significant disruptions to services” at Luton borough council where 134 members of staff were self-isolating, the BBC reported.