This week’s news from around the Council.

• Covid-19 Update
  • The Government’s 4 Step roadmap out of lockdown can be found here.
  • Further detail on the Governments 4 step roadmap can be found here.
  • The Government’s roadmap goes live on 8 March. It is the light at the end of a very long tunnel for us all, but future dates are subject to the 4 tests being met, therefore everyone needs to continue to adhere to the rules.
  • Remember, hands, face, space.

• Covid-19 Additional key messages
  • Stay Well, Get Vaccinated!

The vaccination avoids serious illness with Covid-19. Encouraging all our residents to get vaccinated is our way out of this pandemic. If you know anyone aged 65+ that hasn’t had their vaccine yet, please encourage them to book online, ring 119 or book through their GP. The vaccination does not contain any animal, pork or human products, nor any alcohol. The vaccine is safe for all communities to receive.

• Get tested at South Staffordshire’s Testing site (asymptomatic people only)

Make testing part of your routine at least once a week. Whether you’re heading to the supermarket or out to work, get a test on your way. If you’re in a support or childcare bubble, get tested so you know you’re not going to infect your loved ones.

• Mother’s Day – make sure it’s only flowers you’re giving your mum. 

• Fertility, pregnancy and breastfeeding

The Covid-19 vaccination does not affect chances of getting pregnant. It does not affect fertility. Click here for information on fertility, pregnancy and breastfeeding or to watch a video, presented by Sharon Wallace, Head of Midwifery at UHNM, click here.

• Test and Trace Support Payment

The public can use the Government’s online Test and Trace Support Payment page to check their eligibility if they need to self-isolate because of Covid-19 and cannot work from home. The site allows the public to input their postcode to find their local authorities relevant webpage.

• Please click here for FAQs surrounding Covid-19. 

• Covid-19 Environmental Health update

Fortunately, the rates of Covid-19 in South Staffordshire are continuing to decline, although this has not been the case in all the Staffordshire districts. The Environmental Health team have been working hard investigating outbreaks in businesses and working on compliance and enforcement.

Over the last couple of months Environmental Health have investigated over 90 Covid-19 outbreaks in all types of businesses across South Staffordshire. Some have involved only one or two cases, but others have been on-going for some weeks with up to 30 employees testing positive. We have been working with some businesses to roll out mass testing of over 100 employees.

The prisons within South Staffordshire have also been affected significantly by the virus, with large numbers of inmates and staff testing positive. All the prison outbreaks are now under control.

With safety measures in place, the food and safety team are continuing to carry out food inspections of businesses that can remain open. It has been a very challenging time for these businesses, but the team have supported them to open and trade in a Covid-19 compliant manner. They have also undertaken additional visits where businesses have improved their standards and have requested a re-rating. Improved standards have meant some have started trading on Just Eat and similar platforms.

• Leisure Centres Prepare for Phased Re-opening
  No earlier than 29 March:
• Outdoor sports can resume

No earlier than 12 April:

• Gyms and swimming pools (including swimming lessons) to re-open

No earlier than 17 May:

• Group exercise classes to be re-instated.

The leisure team continue to work to ensure that our facilities remain as safe as possible for staff and customers. We are also pleased to announce that we have been accredited as a UK Active Covid-19 Response Approved venue, meaning that we have been recognised for adopting adequate safety measures and protocols.

As the leisure centres eagerly await for more certainty and clarification on the re-opening of the facilities, our staff/instructors, Dawn, Brogan and Teresa have shared their thoughts and feelings; telling us what they’ve missed, what they look forward to about returning and how they feel about being back in the centres soon.

• Covid-19 Winter Support
  Partnership organisation, Staffordshire Warmer Homes, are offering financial support to those in financial distress due to Covid-19 this winter and have money for fuel to give to those in need of up to £200. Please share this link with any South Staffordshire residents who may be eligible for this financial support.
• Welfare Services – Annual Billing
  Last week saw Welfare Services go through their annual billing cycle which generates the new Council Tax bills and Benefit notification letters for the forthcoming financial year. A huge amount of work and effort goes into this and everything went according to plan. The bills are due to be delivered to residents next week which will mean Customer Services and Welfare Services will be a very busy time from the expectant telephone calls.

The Council website has been updated to include all the relevant financial information available to residents including a unique table which breakdowns the charges for all precepting authorities and how these compare to last year in financial terms.

• Funding for Community/Voluntary organisations

A new £150 million pound fund has been announced. This will help community/voluntary organisations and groups to buy or take over local community assets. Bids of up to £250,000 (match funded) can be submitted and the first bids will be open in June 2021.  Please click here for further information on this funding opportunity.

• Children and young people
  • Keeping your children safe online

Worried about the dangers of chat rooms?  Need to understand how to generally keep your children safe?  “Safer Schools – Home Learning hub” provides advice on how to keep our children and young people safe, particularly on the internet.

• Kind Minds
  Organised by various Staffordshire organisations, the Kind Minds newsletter (issue 4) provides local useful information about children and young people’s emotional wellbeing.

• New online exercise classes

As the leisure centres prepare for potential re-opening, we continue to expand the online exercise class programme. Available to members and non-members, next week will see the introduction of several new classes including:

• Mondays: Bootcamp 8-8.40am with Prav
• Tuesdays: Yoga 7.45-8.25pm with Dawn
• Thursdays: Lift 10-10.40am with Prav
• Thursdays: DanceFit 12-12.40pm with Dawn
• There is also a FREE Youth Boxfit class for young people aged 10-16
• Click here for further details on our online exercise classes
  

• Council Job Vacancies
  • Career Graded Senior Planning Officers x2, Development Management, Closing 5pm Monday 22 March 2021 – application information.
  • Senior Arboricultural Officer Development Management, Closing 5pm Monday 22 March 2021 – application information.
  • Strategic Projects Assistant Team Manager, Development Management, Closing 5pm Monday 22 March 2021 – application information.

Everyone is encouraged to submit news items, please email: [email protected]