City of York Council have been awarded £297,237 by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The funding will enable to council to carry out a feasibility study and subsequent pilot scheme to reduce emissions relating to deliveries travelling in to and out of York.
29 local authorities across England have been granted more than £5 million from the government’s Air Quality Grant to deliver innovative projects to improve air quality and reduce the impact of dirty air on people’s health.
The project will focus on how to reduce the number of deliveries made to the city centre and around York by LGVS and HGVs (such as small vans or larger heavy goods vehicles). A study will identify suitable sustainable alternatives which may include a delivery ‘hub’ allowing the last or first mile of the journey to be made by low emission modes, including e-cargo bikes. The project will aim to reduce both the overall number of vehicles undertaking deliveries and emissions from the remaining fleet. The council will be engaging with businesses, including delivery companies, on the study and pilot scheme.
There are five key areas for air quality improvement around York’s inner ring road which are included in York’s Air Quality Management Area(AQMA). This project has the potential to reduce NOx emissions in all these areas and across the wider district. The new project will also reduce emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) which is known to be the pollutant of greatest harm to human health. As well as improving local air quality the project will also help to reduce CO2 emissions to help achieve our Net-Zero targets.
The project will assist in delivering the following action points in York’s current Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP3): 5 (reducing emissions from freight); 11 (Local incentives for low emission vehicles and alternative fuel use); 12 (Attracting low emission industries, business and jobs to York).
The project’s benefits could be realised further afield than the city centre. Depending on the final location of the pilot project, the scheme may also help to address LGV and HGV emissions to neighbouring districts.
An updated list of the contracts that the York Council has awarded is available on line (click)
The awards range from £7000 for a “weed control consultant” (£58,000 is also being spent hiring a weed control contractor) to £4.5 million for the provision of electric vehicle changing points.
Over £28,000 was spent on “homeworking laptops” in February.
£13,000 will be spent on a “Review of the Covid-19 Micro Grants Scheme”
Yesterdays road surfacing works on Wetherby Road/The Green cost £8,729.
*The Brain in Hand tool is a new way of monitoring and managing feelings of stress and anxiety and is designed to help keep the day on track. It has been designed specifically for people with Autism Spectrum Conditions. It is an application for use on a smart phone or other device that is designed to help monitor feelings and help manage stress and anxiety.
Two hospital deaths reported today. One occurred on Sunday. The other occurred on 11th February and is a delayed report.
Updated ONS figures (left) show that there were 6 deaths of York residents from COVID-19 during the week ending 26th February.
This compared to 18 recorded during the previous week.
Three of the fatalities occurred at hospital, two at care homes and one at a hospice.
Test results
Eighteen new positive test results were announced today. Brings the cumulative total to 11,997.
There are 96 cases in York today, the same as yesterday
The rate /100k population is stable at 45.48 but is expected to creep up towards 50 over the next few days.
Neighbourhoods
Little change today at neighbourhood level.
Only two areas are now above 100 case rate benchmark
Vaccinations
NHS text alerts for life-saving Covid jab
The NHS will begin texting people today inviting them to book their life saving Covid jab, making it quicker and more convenient to get an appointment.
Almost 400,000 people aged 55 and over and 40,000 unpaid carers will be the first to get a text alert inviting them to book a slot as part of the latest development in the NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in NHS history.
The messages will include a web link for those eligible to click and reserve an appointment at one of more than 300 large-scale vaccination centres or pharmacies across England.
Reminders will be sent 2-3 weeks after the original alert to encourage people to get their vaccine if they have not taken up the offer.
Texts will arrive in advance of the standard letter, meaning if the trial is successful the solution could enable the NHS to react faster to changing vaccine supplies and fill appointments quickly.
Some GP-led and hospital vaccination services, which operate their own booking systems, are already using texts for invites.
Introducing them to the national booking service for vaccine centres and pharmacy-led services will help increase uptake of the life-saving jab, particularly as the NHS moves on to younger groups.
Over the weekend and yesterday more than 1.7 million people aged 56 and over were invited to book their vaccine, as the biggest programme in health service history, continues to gather pace. Saturday was the busiest day for the booking service with more than half a million appointments confirmed. Almost nine out of 10 people aged 65 and over already taking up the offer of their first dose.
People will continue to receive letters inviting them to book an appointment as well as a text alert, to ensure that people who don’t have a number registered or need information in different languages or formats don’t miss out.
People should not receive a text message or a letter from the NHS if they have already been vaccinated and this has been recorded. If people cannot or would prefer not to travel to a Vaccination Centre or pharmacy-led site, they can choose to wait to be invited by a local GP-led service.
In some cases text messages have been used by scammers to try to collect personal details from people, get them to ring premium rate numbers or enter their banking details.
The text message will be sent using the Government’s secure Notify service and will show as being sent from ‘NHSvaccine’.
The NHS will never ask for payment or banking details.
Hospitals
York Hospital Trust is treating 54 confirmed and suspected Covid-19 inpatients, which compares with 50 yesterday. Six patients are in intensive care, the same number as yesterday, and a total of 2,038 patients have been discharged
Tests
4048 PCR test were conducted during the week ending 4th March 2021.
Of these 2.0% were positive. That represents an improvement on the previous days figure of 2.1%
3651 “lateral flow” tests were also conducted on 8th March
COVID marshalls
Support marshalls contribute to falling infection rates
Marshalls’ achievements in numbers.
As part of the city’s efforts to lower infection rates, York’s support marshalls have advised over 1,000 groups, removed over 1,000 dropped masks and achieved a near 100% satisfaction rate.
The team of six covid support marshalls is funded by recovery funds, which Executive will be asked to extend from the end of March for a further six months, to help support the city as lockdown restrictions gradually lift.
The team’s proactive and well-received approach includes monitoring areas where people gather, engaging with groups and individuals to remind them of social distancing, and supporting businesses. The marshalls also hygienically dispose of dropped face coverings which could pass on the virus and hand out masks and anti-bacterial gel where needed.
Working with North Yorkshire Police and the York BID rangers, the city’s covid support marshalls have also been able to alert and advise on matters of public safety.
To date, the marshalls have:
advised 1,100 groups of people
supported 775 businesses
handed out PPE to 161 people
picked up 1,062 dropped masks
earned a 98.8% satisfaction rating from people with whom they’ve worked
