City of York Council Leaders in a Coronavirus Q&A, Live on Facebook
Residents are invited to watch and interact with a live #AskTheLeaders Coronavirus question and answer session on City of York Council’s Facebook page on Tuesday 28 April, 5-6pm.
Residents can join live on Facebook to hear from:
- Cllr Keith Aspden, Leader of the Council
- Cllr Andy D’Agorne, Deputy Leader of the Council
- Cllr Paula Widdowson, Executive Member for Climate Change and Environment
- Ian Floyd, Interim Head of Paid Services
- Sharon Stoltz, Director of Public Health
Residents can interact with the session by either submitting questions in advance by emailing them to YourQuestions@york.gov.uk or commenting on the live video on Facebook where leaders will read out questions and respond.* Questions may be answered by theme rather than individually, so that the conversations covers as many topics as possible.
Cllr Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council, said;
“In these unprecedented times, it’s essential that we try new ways of reaching our residents and enabling them to ask questions and raise concerns about the city’s response to the outbreak of coronavirus.”
“I look forward to hosting the live Coronavirus question time session and hearing from local residents. I hope the live session gives clarity, reassurance and useful information in this ever changing situation.”
Cllr Andy D’Agorne, Deputy Leader of City of York Council, said;
“This is a great opportunity for us to get direct feedback from residents about how the lockdown is affecting them, their families and neighbours in York. We can also share some of the amazing work taking place in every community.
“I want to encourage resident to email us your questions and join us next week to have a conversation about our city’s response to Coronavirus and how we are working together to save lives.”
For the latest York updates on service changes, online support and how you can get involved in supporting your community visit www.york.gov.uk/Coronavirus
*Please Note: Resident do not need a Facebook account to watch the live video however, they will need their own Facebook account to comment on the video with their questions if they have not already submitted questions via email.
Cycle couriers
The media are reporting that cycle couriers – delivering food – are being prevented from cycling though the City centre foot-streets.
If correct then we think that is wrong. The footstreets are virtually deserted and the couriers are part of the solution to food supply issues in the City. Clearly they would need to observe a voluntary code restricting their speed but, in principle, getting food to people quickly is a higher priority than enforcing inessential access restrictions.
Greater use of the pedestrian areas by “exercise” cyclists might also help to address the call for a ban on traffic on some residential roads.
We’re not entirely convinced that all courier companies are responding to the needs of people living in sub-urban areas. It’s two weeks since “Deliveroo” said they would extend their service to Acomb but there is no sign of the promised Morrisons/McColls services actually being implemented.
Council information
Leaflet delivery update
The Council claims that a letter from the Leader, Deputy Leader and Interim Head of paid Service “was distributed to York homes over the weekend and Monday. This letter also included ward information and information on volunteering and how to get help”. Many homes did not receive this letter but it contained little that was new anyway.
The “Our City” newsletter will be delivered to all homes throughout the week.
It contains two pages of “look at me” photos of Councillors but omits to provide their contact telephone numbers. The space would have been better utilised giving details of food doorstep deliverers, and information about continuing pharmacy, supermarket (pipeline) and takeaway delivery arrangement.
The Council says that a a leaflet sharing the names and contact details of local independent food suppliers who can deliver or arrange collection will be “delivered soon”. The draft list circulated last week was far from comprehensive so hopefully any new list will have been updated. 
Millies Fruit and Veg boxes
There are several small independent shops who are providing outstanding customer service. These include, to our knowledge, Millies Greengrocers (tel. 01904 677035), Heslington Fresh Foods (01904 728905) and Richardson’s Woodthorpe Butchers ((01904 707876). There must be many more in other parts of the City. Any trader undertaking home deliveries, who wants to be added to the Council list, should email: food@york.gov.uk
The Council also says, “We are also finalising a booklet providing more information to support residents’ health and wellbeing over this difficult period”.
Job retention scheme
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is now open for applications. Employers can now go online to claim cash grants worth up to 80% of wages, capped at £2,500 a month per worker. 5000 HMRC staff will operate the scheme, which is expected to help thousands of firms across the UK.
Please note the following key guidelines :
- To receive payment by 30 April businesses will need to complete an application by 22 April. This is because it will take six working days for the claim to be processed, issued and received.
- Decide whether businesses want to make their own claim or if they want their agent to act on their behalf – if they have an agent that has authorisation to act for you on PAYE matters, they can make a claim for CJRS on their behalf.
- Businesses are being asked to only call the government if they can’t find what they need on gov.uk – please, wherever possible, leave the phone lines open for those who need it most. All applications will be processed online. After a claim has been submitted it will take six working days for it to be paid – businesses are being asked to please not chase up payment during this time.
- Employees should speak to their employers with any questions, not HMRC. The government won’t be able to answer queries from individual employees.
The York and North Yorkshire LEP have provided a handy step by step guide for businesses to help them through this process.
Information on financial support
On top of this the government has launched a new tool to help people find coronavirus financial support for their business. Businesses may be eligible for loans, tax relief and cash grants; this support finder will help you to see what support is available for you and your business.
Support package for innovative firms hit by Coronavirus
Finally, a new billion pound support package for innovative firms hit by Coronavirus has been announced. The package includes a £500 million investment fund for high-growth companies impacted by the crisis, made up of funding from the government and the private sector. SMEs focusing on research and development will also benefit from £750 million of grants and loans.
Cancellation of GCSES and A LEVELS
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is expected to continue having a significant impact on the education system, and the country, for months to come. Therefore, exams have been cancelled now to give pupils, parents, and teachers certainty, and enable schools and colleges to focus on supporting vulnerable children and the children of key workers. More information about the cancellations is available: https://www.york.gov.uk/COVIDExamCancellations
Local government funding
Over the weekend the government confirmed an additional £1.6bn of funding for local authorities. This funding has been welcomed.