RESIDENTS must get used to the new normal, and embrace testing as part of their lives, said the council health leader.

Marking one year since the first UK lockdown next week, Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health and wellbeing, said residents have every reason to be optimistic about the year ahead.

He believes regular testing must become the normality, in order for residents to return to their lives.

“I want to encourage everyone to get tested whenever you can and follow government guidelines,” he said. “Catching Covid-19 can happen to anyone.”

Cllr Margetts said one of the greatest achievements to come out of the pandemic, was the collaborative work between the council and charity sector.

“But none of that means anything without the volunteers,” he added. “We really couldn’t go it without them — it’s about people supporting their communities.”

He said the borough has an excess of volunteers, and said this was a testament to the community.

“In late February last year, we had our first meeting where the ideas were formed for the One Front Door, and the support we could offer,” he said. “We have always wanted to work more closely with the voluntary sector, but covid forced that to happen much more quickly.

“Within a week, there was a plan in place — we knew what we were doing.”

He said there were key differences between the first, second and third lockdown.

To begin with, the biggest issue was shielding residents struggling to access food. This eased off into the summer, as panic-buying became a thing of the past. Then the council’s focus shifted to covid testing, and the vaccine roll-out.

The leader of Wokingham Liberal Democrats, Cllr Lindsay Ferris, praised the food hub, set up in the first lockdown and called it a great success.

He added: “Staff at WBC were seconded onto Covid-19 duties and they provided vital support especially in the adult social care area, regularly speaking to more than 2,000 residents.”

He also praised the council response to covid in care homes.

“The decision by WBC to develop a local protocol to prevent patients being discharged from our local hospitals either to their home, or into care homes without a clear Covid-19 test has saved many lives both locally and nationally as other local council’s followed the example set by Wokingham,” he said.

Cllr Andy Croy, leader of Wokingham Labour, said “at times, it seemed as though the government was working against local people”.

He said: “ They did not protect our care homes. They totally messed up the return to school in the summer of 2020 and again in January of 2021. They refused to let local authorities lead the track and trace efforts and squandered billions in the process.

“The great success of the NHS vaccination program has happened because it has been left to the professionals in the NHS and not contracted out to Serco or to some Conservative Party crony.”

Cllr Croy criticised the national response to covid, and called the prime minister “inept”.

“We were too slow to lockdown,” he said. “We had inadequate supplies of PPP. We had Tory cronyism in the awarding of contracts. We had an app that didn’t work. We had a Conservative test and trace system that cost billions and also did not work. We eased off in the summer despite knowing there was a second wave coming.

“When the second wave did come, we repeated the mistakes of the first wave and allowed the virus to spread to an even greater extent over Christmas.”

He said borough residents have “suffered unnecessarily” and said the 313 covid-related deaths in the borough were a “direct result of the incompetence of the Conservatives”.

As part of the ongoing covid response to the pandemic, Cllr Margetts said the council meets with charity leader’s twice a week in a virtual setting.

This, he said, helps the borough stay watchful over the continued threat, and work through any problems that arise in the community.

Now, the focus is on vaccines.

“The CCG has given us reassurance that for the next nine or 10 weeks, vaccine supply will triple,” Cllr Margetts said.

“That’s a big expansion on capacity, although much of that will be for second doses.”

He expects one third of the additional supply will be used to vaccinate those who have yet to receive their first dose.

“My advice is don’t sit around and wait,” Cllr Margetts said. “If you’re offered the vaccine, go get it. We’re in a race against time before the autumn and winter arrives.

“As we know, other respiratory illnesses pick up at that time, covid is no exception. The other day, Professor Chris Whitty was saying he expects another rise in winter.”

Cllr Ferris said while residents can see “the light at the end of the tunnel”, it still feels some time away.

“Most people are worn down and just waiting for the end of the pandemic,” he said. “People are in limbo but are hopeful. We all want a break.”

Cllr Clive Jones, deputy leader of Wokingham Lib Dems, said the March this year is a “different world”.

“One of the benefits has been the drop in car travel which has led to a reduction in pollution, and it has helped work life balance for many people,” he said.

“Home-schooling has been difficult for many parents, but it has been right to close schools to the majority of pupils.”

All political groups in the borough said they would have preferred if school staff were vaccinated before the return to classroom teaching.

Cllr Ferris added: “The NHS has done the most incredible job in saving many, many, lives. It now needs to be given the resources to catch up with elective surgery where waiting lists have spiralled upwards.”

He said NHS staff should have been treated better in the budget – they have been offered a 1% pay rise – and said the government is “not looking after the salaries of NHS professionals”.

He praised the Royal Berkshire Hospital, for doing a “great job” keeping up with cancer and cardiac care.

Cllr Jones said the retail scene has changed tremendously within the year, and called for greater support for high streets.

“There needs to be a rebalancing of business rates and taxes to create a level playing field for our retailers,” he said.

“Online businesses such as Amazon have done very well at the expense of bricks and mortar retailers.

“If something isn’t done to help high street retailers it’s likely they will continue to go out of business seriously affecting the viability of not only Wokingham town centre but also Reading and Bracknell.”

 Cllr Margetts also recognised that retailers in the borough have had their “economic future compromised” due to the pandemic.

“People all over the country will be feeling the effects of this for years to come,” he said.

Cllr Ferris said the best way for the council to help, is to produce a covid recovery plan that supports residents and businesses.