700 staff redeployed to boost mass vaccination programme
Across Somerset hundreds of council staff have been taken off their usual duties to help with the coronavirus relief effort.
Last updated 6th Jan 2021
Around 700 are now doing things like helping with the vaccine roll out and the authority is also working to ensure food is available to struggling families.
County council leader David Fothergill said: "We are making sure the food hub is able to deliver to those that have got a problem.
"Clearly we've provided support on school meals for the children that can't go into school over the next few weeks.
"All that's now been put back in place and overlay on that we are redeploying as a county around 700 staff into supporting the vaccination programme so there's a real stretch on the county council in terms of our existing services.
"I do have to be honest with you and say you can't take up to 750 people out of an organisation without having an impact and the impact will be seen on some of our services, not vulnerable people, but maybe highways, maybe libraries, maybe registration, maybe procurement.
"All those sort of services would be impacted."
Last month the council announced extra Winter funding for food banks, with grants of between £2,000 and £3,000 being awarded as part of Somerset’s Food Resilience Programme.
The scheme is run by the five councils in Somerset in partnership with several community organisations.
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