Coronavirus: Council services could be scaled back or suspended in Wales

Collections may be less frequent, a Welsh council leader said

Bin collections and other council services may be reduced during the coronavirus crisis.

Welsh Local Government Association leader Andrew Morgan said key services like social care were the priority.

Former workers in social care willing to return to work have been urged to contact their local council.

Local Government Minister Julie James said reductions were not happening immediately but were being considered for the “weeks and months ahead".

The pair outlined the possibilities at a press conference on Tuesday.

'Depleted'

Mr Morgan, who is also leader in Rhondda Cynon Taf, said the 22 county and county borough councils would keep the matter under review "based on latest developments".

He suggested bin collections may go from fortnightly to monthly, with collections of waste food and used nappies a priority.

"Clearly our staff are going to start potentially going off work or have to self-isolate because a family member may be suspected of having the virus," Mr Morgan said.

"Our staff resources are going to be depleted and that is why we will be drawing up a list of key services to try and protect."

Mr Morgan also urged former social care workers to return to work to help deal with the coronavirus crisis.

"We have a number of individuals contacting local authorities about potentially offering their services to come back who have previously worked for local authorities," he said.

Anyone who has previously worked in social care and is prepared to come back is asked to contact their local authority, Mr Morgan added.

Meanwhile Powys County Council announced that its chief executive Dr Caroline Turner had self-isolated and was working from home after feeling unwell on Monday.

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Analysis by Felicity Evans, BBC Wales political editor

The minister's first message today was one of reassurance: "If we work together, we'll get through it together."

Given the scale of the challenge and disruption ahead we'll all need mutual support from family, friends and neighbours.

The big difficulty is that, at this stage, it is not clear where the exit door is on these social isolation measures, and if we're in it for the long haul the economic stress on workers, businesses and councils will be enormous.

Too big for the Welsh Government to manage alone, as Julie James admits freely. The Treasury has already announced extra money for Wales - will it be the first of many such announcements over the coming months?

Even with all the money in the world, the pressures on council staff (as well as health workers) will be huge. High absentee rates will mean inevitable scaling back or even suspension of services.

If you haven't knocked on your neighbour's door yet, now's the time.