Leaders at East Devon District Council has urged communities to be ‘resilient, resourceful and corageous’ in the ongoing wake of Covid-19.

In a message to East Devon residents, Mark Williams, chief executive of East Devon District Council and councillor Ben Ingham, the leader of the council, said the county is faced with ‘one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime’.

Mr Williams said: “This is a rapidly changing situation that poses fresh problems at every turn. To overcome these problems every one of us must play our part in helping beat the Coronavirus pandemic.

“We will need to be resilient, resourceful and courageous to make it through the difficult months ahead. We need to work together, to help each other wherever possible and, above all, to ‘keep calm and carry on’.

“Please be reassured that the council’s commitment to you remains steadfast and we will continue to provide critical services using our very best endeavours.

“To that end I am proud to say that every single member of staff is playing their part and working tirelessly to ensure that, despite multiple challenges, important services are still being delivered to the best of our ability.”

Mr Williams said some service areas will need to be discontinued, and called for patience and understanding so the authority can focus its resources in the areas they are needed most.

He added: “We are committed to doing whatever is needed to help people directly and to support our communities to find ways to respond quickly.

“We will continue to review and adapt as necessary, and importantly, we will continue to provide up-to-date information about our services and the latest advice via our own communication channels and through the media.”