HAS teams hit 5000th emergency job

Electrician Garry Todd came to the rescue of a New Cumnock resident in her 80s who is self-isolating. Councillor Elena Whitham praised Garry’s actions, “We’re so proud of our Housing Asset Services team and the way they’ve been responding to all our emergency call-outs during this difficult time.

“We’ve had to make huge changes to what we are doing at the moment, with teams pulled off routine construction, refurbishment and repair jobs, and now only responding to emergencies such as the one this lady faced.

“Garry called at the address after the lady concerned had been briefed, by our housing repairs triage team, about what to do when he arrived. Wearing PPE, and adhering to strict Health and Safety guidelines, he attended the incident alone.

“At the moment we’re only dealing with emergency repairs, and this certainly was one of those - water pouring through a light fitting.

“Our telephone triage team comprises many of our skilled  workers who would usually be out there in the field. They’re now manning  the lines, giving expert advice and often guiding our tenants to carry out repairs themselves without the need for a visit.

“We’re only sending our operatives out where it is really necessary, and yet we’ve already notched up more than 5000 jobs since lockdown started.

“Its a real testament to our teams who’re  having to take extreme care entering other peoples’ homes and keep themselves and our tenants safe at the same time.

“As was the case with Garry, they’re often now working alone, and having to take precautions with cleaning as they go, asking tenants to stay in other rooms as they work, and making sure they wear PPE at all times.

“We’re so proud of what they’re doing in such difficult circumstances and, like Garry, their attitude has been amazing. They deserve all credit for putting themselves  out there to keep our tenants as safe and comfortable as they can.  

“Of course some of our teams haven’t been able to do their normal work at the moment. But many have volunteered to transfer to other departments, and are now helping cover for sick or shielding colleagues in other areas. We’ve got HAS team members collecting waste, delivering essential supplies and working to help with food distribution for our most vulnerable citizens. We can’t thank them all enough for their efforts”.

For more information about how Housing Services are working just now or report a fault, visit our webpage

To see how other East Ayrshire Council Services have adapted to the current situation visit their regularly updated webpages. www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/coronavirus