Changes to services A-Z

Find out which council services have changed due to coronavirus

The health and wellbeing of our residents, people who work in the Borough and our staff is the Council's top priority. We're working hard to continue providing as many services as possible while ensuring residents' safety, in line with the latest advice from the government.

We are publishing regularly updated information and advice about Council services in relation to coronavirus and have a range of contingency plans if national circumstances become more challenging.

The Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum (HIOW LRF) is the regional response organisation for the Coronavirus outbreak. Read more

Receive an email every Friday with a round up of information relating to coronavirus.

Affected Council services A-Z

Allotments

Allotments across the Borough will remain open, however, please ensure that social distancing measures are followed (remaining at least two metres apart from others). We will keep allotments under review to ensure that visitor numbers don’t exceed a safe number to maintain social distancing.

Business closures around the Borough.
The latest rules on which businesses can operate during the lockdown have been published on the government website.

Businesses - update on discretionary grants
Following the government’s latest national restrictions financial support is available to help businesses required to close during that time. See the latest information provided by government.

Business Support
The latest business support information from the Government.

Eastleigh town centre
Eastleigh Town Centre has been partially pedestrianised and additional signage is in place throughout the Borough's retail areas to aid social distancing.

Cemeteries
Eastleigh Cemetery in Brookwood Avenue remains open. However, we strongly urge that visitors respect the government's guidelines on social distancing at all times.

Community Support

Please see our coronavirus support pages if you or someone you know of is self-isolating because they are vulnerable to coronavirus and needs help getting essential supplies, like food or medicine. We can connect you with a volunteer group in your area. Equally, if you just need a person you can chat with, we can put you in touch with someone.

If you’d like to become a volunteer, you can find out about the groups we are working with and how you can be of help.

Construction sites
Under new guidelines most construction sites will now be able to operate until 9pm from Monday to Saturday, but not on Sundays or Bank Holidays. In non-residential areas operating hours could be longer – potentially up to 24 hours a day.

Council Offices

The reception at our Eastleigh House civic offices will remain closed from Monday 4 January . If you can, please contact us by phone - 023 8068 8000 - or via our website and our Customer Services team will be pleased to help you.

Council meetings

All Council committee meetings are now taking place on Microsoft Teams and can be viewed by members of the public..

Council Tax

The coronavirus outbreak is having a significant impact on our residents and many people may be struggling to pay their bills, including Council Tax, especially if they have suffered a sudden drop in income. We're offering a range of measures to reassure and help families with their Council Tax payments through the COVID-19 crisis.

Country parks

Itchen Valley Country Park is open, including toilets and a takeaway service through the Woodland Cafe.

Lakeside Country Park is open, including toilets.

Disabled Facility Grants (DFGs)

Visits in relation to DFGs and housing enforcement complaints, where the clients are either in the vulnerable group (elderly and/or pre-existing health conditions), or it is relating to houses of multiple occupation will continue to take place where essential. External visits to properties will continue.

Environmental Information Requests

We kindly request your patience at this challenging time. We will respond to your request, but this is likely to take longer than usual and to exceed the 20-working day deadline in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004. This accords with the Information Commissioner’s Office’s guidance, published in response to the crisis that individuals should expect to “experience understandable delays, when making information requests during the pandemic.” Guidance in response to COVID-19

Finance

All payment runs will continue to ensure that all our customers continue to be paid.

If people are having issues with bill payment, they are asked to call 023 8068 8000 for Council Tax or 023 8068 8076 for business rates. For all other debts email sundry.debtors@eastleigh.gov.uk

If people have booked an event or appointment, which we have cancelled, they will be offered an alternative, credit note or refund.

All cheque payments will be stopped and customers are required to urgently provide their bank details, if they haven’t done so already.

Where possible, we will issue our invoices by email although our current posting system will remain in place. Debtors can request an emailed invoice by contacting sundry.debtors@eastleigh.gov.uk

We’re encouraging invoices to be sent to accounts.payable@eastleigh.gov.uk to ensure swift payment rather than being posted to the Council offices.

Freedom of Information requests

Handyperson Service

Suspended until further notice. Contractors may be retained for essential work.

Homelessness
We have a freephone number in place should you find yourself in a homeless situation: 0800 032 0540.

Leisure Centres

Places Leisure Eastleigh will be closed until the current coronavirus restrictions are lowered.

MOTs

Our MOTs service at the Hedge End Depot remains open

Ombudsman

You can find the most up-to-date information on making a complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman at www.lgo.org.uk or by listening to the recorded message on 0300 061 0614

Out of hours contact

For urgent issues phone the Council’s main number 023 8068 8000 and listen for details of the out of hours number.

Pest Control

Our pest control service is now able to carry out external works where essential.

Planning Applications

With most of our staff working from home - because of the social distancing measures brought in by the government - but still having access to our network, we are still able to process planning applications that are received online; however, there are likely to be delays for applications submitted on paper as we are not able to access these and cannot create the digital versions our planning process requires. We therefore strongly recommend that all customers should submit their applications electronically via the Planning Portal (please note that submissions via the portal do carry a fee). This will give us the best chance of delivering our service to you in a timely manner.

If you have already submitted a planning application and you wish to submit further information to either validate your application or post-validation drawings; or if you have already obtained permission and you wish to apply for an amendment, these can also be done through the portal.

Play areas

All play areas across the Borough are open; please maintain social distance. However, multi-use game areas (MUGAs) remain closed.

Public Notices
As the Hampshire Independent has temporarily ceased production of a paper version of the newspaper during the coronavirus pandemic, our public notices will be placed in the Daily Echo until further notice. They can also be accessed on the Hampshire County Council's website.

Sport and Health

The Healthworks service is closed until further notice. For support during the response to coronavirus and the latest guidance for outdoor activities, please visit our Health and Wellbeing at Home pages.

SportWorks programme sessions. Walking Netball, Mums on Bikes and the Mum and Baby programme at Places Leisure Eastleigh continue to be suspended. The restart of Friday Night Football is now suspended

Community facilities: Y- Zone, Bishopstoke, The Hub & Rugby Club, Eastleigh and the Mercury Centre, Hamble are all closed

Subject Access requests

We kindly request your patience at this challenging time. We will respond to your request, but this is likely to take longer than usual and to exceed the one month deadline in the Data Protection Act 2018. This accords with the Information Commissioner’s Office guidance, published in response to the crisis that individuals should expect to “experience understandable delays, when making information rights requests during the pandemic”.

Theatres

The Berry (Hedge End) Theatre remains closed. Performances of The Point's socially distanced Christmas Show have been cancelled from Christmas Eve onwards. The Point Cafe is also closed.

Waste and recycling

Waste collections continue as normal. Food waste collection restarted from 9 November. At the same time, we are also undertaking a new recycling pilot with some roads within the Borough - find out more on our pilot pages.

You can continue view your collection dates on our website.

Personal waste

The government has issued new guidance on how households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection should dispose of personal waste, like tissues.

Double bag personal waste (such as used tissues and disposable cleaning cloths). These items should be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags should be placed into a second bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste.

Do not put out for collection for at least three days (72 hours) before placing in your external black household waste bin. For example, if you have filled/tied a bag on a Monday and your collection is due on a Thursday, that bag can be put out for collection on Thursday morning. However, if you have filled/tied a bag on a Monday and your collection is due on a Wednesday, you would need to hold onto that bag until your next scheduled collection.

This advice is designed to prevent transmission of the virus. Further guidance

Youth Centres

Y Zone, Bishopstoke is closed until further notice

The Energy Youth Centre - If any young person would like to contact them or access updates, they can do this through their Facebook page, which youth workers will be checking regularly.

Chandler’s Ford youth centres - The Loft, located at The Hilt, Hiltingbury, and Fryern located at Fryern Pavilion, have closed until further notice. They continue to offer online support via their Facebook Page.