A view from People Portfolio, Cllr Jo Barker

There's no denying the last 12 months or so have been very difficult for both us as a council and for the residents who live in our District.

I am the Portfolio Holder for People at Stratford District Council, which means I deal with things like health and wellbeing, revenues and benefits, and customer service, which have all been put under severe strain during the pandemic.

The revenues and benefits side has been especially difficult. Throughout this crisis, we've had eight different types of grants to pay people and businesses, all introduced at different times by central government.

Our officers have gone above and beyond to process them, with many working every other weekend to help get payments out to businesses in real need of cash to keep them afloat.

Their workload has been incredibly heavy, and they should be very proud of all the people they've been able to help thanks to their hard work.

In addition, COVID has made us look at our own working practices and has enabled us to streamline what we do. For example, when a new type of grant had been introduced, I would have to read the details and sign it off, and then pass it onto the Leader for his sign off. Now, only I need to do it.

There have been other challenges too. Many residents struggled with loneliness during the pandemic - the foodbank I help run in Shipston obviously has visitors who need food, but some come along just to talk to someone.

And while many people have been encouraged to work from home, not everyone has had that option. Frontline health workers and those in precarious, often lower-paid jobs, have not been able to shelter from the risks of COVID-19.

That's not to say people who have worked from home have had it easy - far from it. The reduction in freedoms over the last 12 months or so has put a real strain on both physical and mental health in our District.

Although people have been able to exercise locally - at least to a certain extent - leisure centres and gyms have been closed, and sports clubs have ceased to operate. These not only provide people with opportunities to exercise, they are also key parts of the community and are a big factor in many residents' lives.

In addition, with Stratford District relying heavily on tourism, hospitality and leisure in its economy, many people have been furloughed for lengthy periods, leaving employees in limbo, and their employers potentially struggling to make ends meet.

With all that being said, I'm optimistic that things will improve now that the government has announced its 'roadmap' out of lockdown.

Although Boris Johnson mentioned his approach to easing lockdown nationwide would be 'data, not dates' - the dates have been something that lots of people and businesses here have latched onto.

These dates mean we now have something to look forward to. I know in other places hospitality venues like pubs and restaurants have shut. In Stratford District, many have stayed open, hopeful that customers will come back once they are allowed to visit again.

I think our theatres and music venues will start to fill up again too - this pandemic has shown just how much live entertainment is missed when we don't have it. The demand will be there, and Stratford District is set to benefit.

I also think local authorities like ourselves have a big role to play over the next few months as we ease out of lockdown.

Although many people have been craving the opportunity to enjoy their freedoms once again, others will understandably be more cautious. We need to make the District safe and welcoming for all of our residents.

I think our workload will change in terms of what we are focussing on, but it will still be challenging for us. Budgeting wisely and making sure we work well when we join with Warwick District Council will be on our list of priorities.

But with many vulnerable people in our District having already been vaccinated thanks to the amazing speed of the vaccine rollout, I am confident we on the road to recovery.

Ultimately, we need to do all we can to ensure our District is safe for residents and visitors, enable businesses to keep going by continuing to process and issue grants where we can, and allow all that is good about Stratford District to shine through once again.