Coronavirus York updates; 5th May 2020

Waste tips to reopen. Green bin emptying and bulky waste removal services also to restart

Cllr Paula Widdowson, Executive Member with responsibility for waste services said: “I’m pleased to announce that all of our waste services will resume over the next two weeks.
“Today we have agreed changes which mean:

• Household Waste and Recycling Centres will reopen from 11 May by appointment only to residents and commercial waste customers for essential use.
• Bulky waste collections will restart on 11 May
• Garden waste collections will start on 18 May.

“The decision we took back in April wasn’t one we took lightly, however it was crucial we were able to keep residents and staff safe. I would like to thank residents for their understanding and also our incredible staff who have continued to collect household waste and recycling in these challenging times.

“The wellbeing of residents and our staff has been our number one priority and following resident feedback, we explored options to restart all waste collection services, including garden waste collections. In addition, these services can now be opened safely as staff absences have stabilised and we have developed new ways of working.

“Following my letter to the Secretary of State seeking further support and guidance to resume our services as soon as possible, the government released updated guidance today. The guidance advises that journeys to tips must only be undertaken if your waste or recycling cannot be stored at home safely or disposed of safely by other means.

“The household waste and recycling centres will also have social distancing measures in place in addition to our booking system. We will announce further details of the changes, including the booking system tomorrow.”

Confusion over grants to micro businesses

The City of York Council says it is gearing up to deliver a new government grant scheme aimed at local businesses, small charities, B&Bs and market traders.

It is unclear whether the grants will be in addition to any made under the Council’s own micro business grant scheme launched on 3rd April. The Council has not said how much of the £1 million, that they said they had put aside for those grants, has actually been spent.

York is set to receive around £2.2 million to support small and micro businesses that do not qualify for the existing grants or the self-employed income support. Council staff will work to ensure that the grants are received as rapidly as possible once details of the scheme are announced.

The figure represents the 5% ‘uplift’ promised to councils on the amount received through the coronavirus grants for small businesses and those in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.

Local authorities have to wait for final details from the government but the scheme aims to help:

Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible work spaces
Science parks and incubators which do not have their own business rates assessment
Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment
B&Bs which pay Council Tax instead of business rates
Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief

It is available to businesses with fewer than 50 employees and facing ongoing fixed building-related costs. Applicants must have been trading since before 11 March, and able to demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Councillor Andrew Waller, executive member for the economy and strategic planning, said:

These are extremely challenging times for the people who run York’s businesses.

“From day one it’s been our priority to get relief into business’ bank accounts as securely and quickly as possible, with over £105 million distributed in a matter of weeks, nearly 90% of previous grant announcements. We’ll do the same with these grants, and are working with neighbouring councils to make sure that, as resources allow, there is as much consistency as possible.

We hope that the Government will provide regulations to councils quickly so that we can announce details of how to apply early next week.”

Because the scale of the financial award to local authorities has been fixed, but the number of qualifying businesses and charity properties will emerge and vary, the council cannot immediately say how much each grant will be worth.

Full details of the scheme are expected to be announced by the Government later this week. Grants will be distributed by an application process. It is acknowledged that it will take a little time to set up this process to ensure all the correct checks are made.

Almost 90% of previously announced grants have now been processed with City of York ranking 12 out of 314 local authorities for the quickest payments to local businesses. Officers are continuing to work through these, as well as the micro grants.

Coronavirus York updates: 4th May 2020

“Reveal York test numbers” plea

Authorities have been asked to update residents on the number of coronavirus tests conducted at the centre established at Poppleton. The centre has been testing NHS, care staff and other key workers but, after an initial surge, it is understood that demand for the service has reduced.

No figures have been published indicating the number and percentage of those checked who have been found to have the virus.

In other parts of the country, test centres have been moving on to offer the service to other vulnerable groups including the over 65’s.

Covid case numbers up in York

Meanwhile, figures issued ) by Public Health England show that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the City of York Council area has risen by 15, from 300 to 315

UPDATE PM FIVE more patients with coronavirus have died at hospitals run by York Hospital NHS Trust, taking the total number of fatalities to 140.

Coronavirus York updates: 28th April 2020

Deaths & Recoveries

A TOTAL of 111 patients with coronavirus have now died at York NHS trust hospitals – but more than 170 have been discharged after treatment. It said 69 patients had died at York Hospital, which is an increase of 19 on this day last week.

Home deliveries

A list of “local and independent food out lets near you” leaflet is currently being delivered by Royal Mail to all residents. The list is far from comprehensive particularly in west York. Ward Councillors should have taken responsibility for ensuring that all every store offering home delivery – including takeaways – was included.

NHS is open

There are concerns that fewer people contacting the NHS for non-coronavirus related conditions could create future problems. As a result, the NHS are reminding people they are very much “open for business” and people should continue to contact them with any health problems they may have.

Residents should contact the NHS by phone or online in the first instance. We have attached key messages from the NHS. This document includes more information about the NHS “open for business” campaign, information on prescriptions, vaccinations, strokes, heart attack cancer and much more. Please share this information where possible.

You can still contact your GP, 111 online or call 111 for help. If you are told to go to hospital, you must go so the NHS can give you the care you need. www.nhs.uk

Dentists

Dentists have stopped providing routine dental care because of the coronavirus pandemic. If people are in need of urgent dental care they should first contact their usual dentist who should be able to triage them over the telephone and give appropriate advice. If they are not registered with a local dentist they need to contact NHS 111 for advice. Out of hours (evenings and weekends) people should contact NHS 111.

Printed information for residents

The Council says that “our next resident direct mail focuses on health and wellbeing and should be arriving on doorsteps from Friday this week. It will also include a scam leaflet to offer residents advice on how to protect themselves from scams”.

Move the masses

One of the many incredible voluntary and community organisations we are working with is ‘Move the Masses.’

They have today released their latest figures of how much support they are offering across the city. In the past four and a half weeks they have:

Delivered 758 prescriptions
Made 116 hours worth of welfare calls
Paired up 156 people to receive calls and letters.

Their latest tweets are available at https://twitter.com/MTMcharity/status/1254701000197365760.

We pass on a number of call from our helpline to move the masses. This is just one example of several incredible organisations working together to help and protect residents.

Ask a question at the daily government briefing

The government has announced that from today it will answer one question from a member of the public at the daily coronavirus (COVID-19) press conference.

Those asking a question must be over 18 and if your question is chosen, a cabinet minister will answer it during the live broadcast. Questions will be reviewed at midday on the day of the press conference. Only one question will be selected* each day and the Government has advised the public that Ministers will not see the question before the press conference and that questions are chosen by an independent polling organisation, with no involvement from the government.

Residents can ask their question at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/ss/govuk-coronavirus-ask/

*So you would have a rather better chance of winning the lottery!

Coronavirus York updates; 26th April 2020

Consumer spending

Tortoise have updated their consumer spending tables. They are now live here CLICK They reveal that York’s retail sector has been badly affected by the Coronavirus clampdown. The City is the 19^th worst affected of 172 areas surveyed antionally. Scarborough (14^th) and Whitby (7^th) are also badly affected.

The York Council’s Executive will be meeting shortly. We would expect to see them discussing a first draft of an economic recovery plan for the City.

Coronavirus deaths

THREE more people with coronavirus have died at hospitals within the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The three further deaths brings the total for the trust to 104. The figure passed 100 for the first time yesterday when it stood at 101. The trust includes York Hospital and Scarborough.

Testing centre opens at Poppleton

A drive through coronavirus test centre opens in York today. The facility at Poppleton Park and Ride is open for NHS and other key workers on ly, and they’ll need to make an appointment.

Zoom warning

The police have issued the following warning for “Zoom” users.

As I am sure you are all aware, the use of the Zoom application has dramatically risen over the past few weeks with people using it to keep in touch, whether this be for business or social purposes. However, Zoom is faced some scrutiny due to how insecure it is from a cyber and online perspective, leaving individuals and businesses vulnerable to online cyber attacks. In response to this, the National Police Chiefs Council has issued some guidance around its use, which I have attached to this email

How Age UK York are supporting residents, with the help of council volunteers

To help relieve pressure on emergency services, volunteers from the council together with Age UK York are driving discharged hospital patients home.

To help relieve pressure on the emergency services, 25 volunteers from the council’s pool of volunteers who matched Age UK York’s criteria have been deployed to join the charity’s Home from Hospital service and their existing two volunteer drivers.

Suitably experienced volunteers with no underlying health conditions and who aren’t medically-shielding, can opt to transport patients who have had Covid-19. They will use personal protection equipment (PPE) and extra hygiene measures which follow Government guidelines. This includes drivers using 1,800 disposable plastic car seat covers kindly donated by garages:

Stoneacre Ford York
Vantage Toyota York
Butts of Bawtry
Fulford Auto Services

Another example of the city coming together. Find out more in this press release

Council bring public meetings online in response to extended lockdown

City of York Council will host the next Executive meeting online on 7 May 2020 (The agenda will be published on 29 April). Members of the public who want to speak at meetings will be encouraged to contact the Council’s Democratic Services Team, as usual, and register to speak. Those who register to speak will then be provided further details on how they can dial into the public meeting and contribute.

Homelessness and housing update

We are providing accommodation for all homeless households and individuals in the city now and will continue to do so beyond this emergency, as we normally do.

In addition to using our own and partners’ hostel accommodation, we are currently supporting around 35 homeless households – a mix of families, couples and single people – in self-contained bed and breakfast or hotel accommodation offered to us during the emergency.

Depending on each individual’s level of need, single people or rough sleepers are housed in a mix of existing hostels and bed and breakfasts, and in hotel rooms – all in single rooms to allow social distancing and self-isolation.

All the rough sleepers we are supporting are already known to us and the vast majority have accepted the accommodation which each and every one is being offered. We continue to remind them of the lockdown’s requirements, and work hard to persuade them all to come into and stay in their accommodation.

Rough Sleeper services are operating in the usual way. For a bed, please go to 63, Lawrence Street or call 01904 416562 or at evenings or weekends please call 01609 780780.

We are continuing with our services for people who are concerned about becoming homeless and need our advice to help prevent homelessness. This is being done online or by phone on 01904 554500 or via www.york.gov.uk/homelessness/housing-options. These teams continue to help people facing homelessness through, for example, financial hardship, relationship breakdown or issues with private landlords. We’re also working with landlords across the city to support their tenants and minimise evictions. We’ve seen a slight rise in single people asking our preventative services for help which may be because they usually live with friends or family who now need to self-isolate.

We’re prioritising our work to prepare empty council homes ready to re-let and are finding private rented accommodation harder to come by at the moment. We plan to continue working with hotels and B&Bs for the duration of the lockdown to keep people safely accommodated and we are working on plans to ensure that as we move out of lockdown everyone will have accommodation options.

Where individuals do become homeless and sleep on the streets, we continue to offer tailored support. Whether it’s mental health support, dealing with drug or alcohol abuse, relationship breakdown or poverty, we try and help each individual into suitable accommodation and services. Once they start working with us and our partners in the city – like Changing Lives or the Salvation Army – we can address each person’s needs including getting benefits in place, training for work, money and tenancy management, before helping them into stable accommodation.

While we carry on with this work, we’ve had to be increasingly innovative about safely supporting rough sleepers – especially those with more complex needs or challenging behaviours – while also maintaining social distancing for other clients and our staff. Like all other services, we’re doing more by phone and are prioritising emergencies. With York CVS we are signposting the charities we work with, including SASH, Carecent and Changing Lives, to apply for additional funding for voluntary groups.

Coronavirus York updates; 24th April 2020

More Coronavirus cases and deaths in York

FIVE more patients with coronavirus have died at hospitals run by York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, taking the total number of such fatalities to 96. Two of the further five deaths were at York Hospital, taking the total number of deaths there to 58.

Latest figures from Public Health England show there were 224 confirmed cases in the City of York Council area today (April 24), compared with 209 yesterday.

Sainsbury’s open longer.

Sainsbury’s supermarkets will be open from 8am -10pm and many convenience stores will open until 10pm or 11pm.

For elderly and vulnerable customers, the stores still offer dedicated shopping hours between 8am and 9am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

NHS and social care workers can shop in our supermarkets from 7.30am to 8:00am Monday to Saturday before they open.

This afternoon there was only ONE person waiting in the queue outside Sainsbury’s local store on Beckfield Lane

Micro business grants

Launched 3 weeks ago, the £1 million York Council micro business grant scheme continues to have a low profile in the City. Although the Council has boasted of its success in administering quickly central government business grants, it has been less forthcoming about the success of its own grant systems.

The scheme had been targeted at “providing £1 million in support to help York’s small and micro businesses” who were set to miss out on government support. The micro business grants scheme would deliver grants of up to £1000 to 1000 self-employed, micro and small businesses who need it most.

No progress report on the scheme has been published.

There is a similar lack of performance information on financial assistance schemes for individual residents.

Supply chain and staffing concerns at York Council

An internal memo from the Council has said “At this point (public) services are well placed and working as well as could be expected. The main risks as we move towards the peak will be staffing availability and increasingly the closing down of the supply chain”. The nature of the supply chain jeopardy has not been spelled out.

The Council also goes on to say, “ The economic impact will be significant and there is likely to be a new normal appearing across the economy as people have embraced new technologies and homeworking over the last few weeks. Planning to ensure the council deals effectively with anticipated surges in demand on services as things return to normal is expected to start when we have greater clarity over the likely extension of the current lockdown”.

The Council has refused to release a copy of its “business continuity plan” (BCP) to a prominent local Councillor. The decision has fuelled concerns that the authority may not have been as well prepared for a civil emergency as had been previously expected.

Other Councils have published their BCPs “on line”

Scam Emails

The police are reporting a substantial increase in the number of scam emails.

One apparently saw a bogus message from the Lord Mayor generated although the circulation was limited. It followed a similar attack on another Councillor a few weeks ago.

An internal warning note from the Council said, “the nature of the attack was social engineering i.e. the user hoped to illicit a response by targeting colleagues of the user being impersonated. It was also fairly unsophisticated in that it did not include any malicious links and the senders real e-mail address was not particularly well concealed”.

Separately North Yorkshire Police are reporting,

“A total of 9,473 phishing emails linked to sextortion have been made to the NFIB phishing inbox between 31/03/2020 – 19/04/2020. There has also been just over 200 reports made to Action Fraud in the last week.

Sextortion scams are a type of phishing attack whereby people are coerced to pay a BitCoin ransom because they have been threatened with sharing video of themselves visiting adult websites. These scams are made to appear all the more credible because they provide seemingly plausible technical details about how this was achieved, and the phish can sometimes also include a password used by the recipient.

The current campaign threatens that if the victim does not provide a payment within a specific timeframe (payments usually ranging from $1,000 to $4,000), which is requested into a bitcoin wallet, then a compromising video will be shared to all their contacts and social media channels.

What you need to do

Do not reply or click on any of the links in the email. You can report the email to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk/report-phishing.
Don’t be tempted to make the Bitcoin payment. Doing so may encourage more scams as the fraudster will know they have a ‘willing customer’.
If you have made the Bitcoin payment, you should report it to your local police force by calling 101.
If the email includes a password you still use then change it immediately.

For more information, visit: actionfraud.police.uk/sextortion

Ramadan

As Ramadan starts new advice has been offered to those celebrating Ramadan. Whilst asking people to stay at home this Ramadan it offers advice for during Ramadan. A blog has been published as Ramadan starts today, with more information to follow. The blog includes information and advice and messages of support from Muslim leaders

“On Line” Council meetings from 7^th May.

City of York Council will host the next Executive meeting online on 7 May 2020 (The agenda will be published on 29 April).

Council staff have been working to enable and support new virtual meetings, so local residents and organisations can engage with Council business during the outbreak of coronavirus. This work includes supporting the requirement to host safe and secure, virtual meetings online.

Members of the public who want to speak at meetings will be encouraged to contact the Council’s Democratic Services Team, as usual, and register to speak. Those who register to speak will then be provided further details on how they can dial into the public meeting and contribute.

There is still no news about the Councils plan for its annual meeting which was due to be held at the end of May. It is almost certain that this will have to be held “on line” with any ceremonial delayed until later in the year.

Air Quality

We revealed the least surprising news of the year a few days ago when it became clear that the absence of high polluting commercial vehicles and coaches for York City Centre during the current lockdown had resulted in improve air quality. The Council has now confirmed this and listed the effects on individual streets.

The analysis shows improvements in air quality (nitrogen dioxide concentrations) compared to ‘business as usual’ figures for specific areas of York where the council undertakes regular air quality monitoring, including:

Fishergate: a reduction of 43 per cent
Fulford Road: a reduction of 28 per cent
Gillygate: a reduction of 29 per cent
Heworth Green: a reduction of 27 per cent
Holgate Road: a reduction of 32 per cent
Nunnery Lane: a reduction of 38 per cent
Lawrence Street: a reduction of 29 per cent
Bootham: a reduction of 16 per cent

Average nitrogen dioxide reduction across all York sites is 30 per cent.

Coronavirus York updates; 22nd April 2020

Corona virus cases in York increases

THE number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the City of York Council area has risen by nine, from 189 to 198. Another five patients with coronavirus have died at York Hospital, taking the total number of such fatalities there to 55

Football season ends for York City

The National League have announced that clubs have voted to formally end the 2019/20 football season. Details here: https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/national-league-statement-remaining-league-matches-61884

It remains unclear which division York City will play in next season.

Council leaflets

After several weeks without any written communication the Council have now arrange to for two leaflets to be delivered in the space of 48 hours.

The first – an edition of “Our City” – was generally welcomed although it relied too much on recipients being users of electronic communications (It referred to web sites and gave email contact addresses).

“Ward” leaflets being delivered by Royal Mail

Three more leaflets have now been delivered by Royal Mail in the same envelope. One is another letter from the Council leadership which adds little to the similar foreword that they provided earlier in the week.

The second is another copy of the “orange” volunteer leaflet first delivered 3 weeks ago.

A third leaflet claims to provide “ward information”. In reality, the only “new” information are the mobile telephone numbers of the local Councillors. There is no information about local shops or delivery arrangements. A missed opportunity.

Recovery figures

Fifty York Hospital patients with coronavirus have now died – but York NHS trust bosses say admissions are falling and more than 130 patients have already been discharged.

Home Learning

The DfE has updated guidance on supporting children to learn at home which includes links to a variety of learning apps for parents to use with their children as well as guidance and advice for parents at home with their children during the current situation.

The BBC has unveiled its biggest push on education in its history supported by DfE- ensuring that every child in the UK has the opportunity to continue to follow the appropriate core parts of their national school curriculum in these challenging times. There are also some useful resources for pre-schoolers. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize.

School qualifications

The latest information for schools, students and parents on GCSEs, AS and A level awarding for summer 2020 is now available.

Warning about online radicalisation

North Yorkshire Police and its community safety partners are supporting a campaign to tackle the threat of online radicalisation during the coronavirus emergency.

Co-ordinated by Prevent and with a focus on its “Let’s Talk About It” website https://www.ltai.info/, it is aimed at young and vulnerable people who could be at risk of being groomed by extremist individuals and groups online.

As with crimes such as fraud, child abuse and child sexual exploitation, the closure of schools and colleges has increased the chances of young people falling victim to online radicalisation while following the current social distancing and self-isolation rules.

If you have an immediate concern that you need to share with a trained professional who will treat your enquiry with understanding and discretion, please call North Yorkshire Police on 101.

If you see or hear something suspicious, trust your instincts and ACT. Report it in confidence at www.gov.uk/ACT. Your actions could save lives.

Coronavirus York updates; 21st April 2020

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.

Coronavirus York Updates: 18th April 2020

Helpline

If anyone is struggling financially, or cannot access the internet to order food, please contact the Council on 01904 551550 or email covid19help@york.gov.uk. This telephone line is open daily, including at the weekend when it’s open 8.30am – 5.30pm Saturday and Sunday.

Explore update re free magazine and newspaper access

Press Reader – the app giving free access to thousands of newspapers and magazines – is now live and free to access for anyone with an Explore library card. Explore was able to buy a subscription to Press Reader with part of the grant awarded last week by City of York council from the Covid-19 general support grant. The latest information is available at https://www.exploreyork.org.uk/digital/e-magazines/

Every Mind Matters

With data showing over 4 in 5 adults are worried about the effect that coronavirus (COVID-19) is having on their life right now, with over half saying it affected their wellbeing and nearly half reporting high levels of anxiety Public Health England are reminding people to take steps to look after their mental health during this challenging period for everyone.

Their Every Mind Matters website includes new NHS expert tips and advice on looking after mental wellbeing and supporting your family and loved ones during this time.

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have narrated a powerful new film in support of campaign and to encourage people to look after their mental and physical wellbeing.

The Every Mind Matters campaign will be supported through social media, digital, national TV and partner support activity, helping to reach the audiences most at-risk of poor mental health link to the video.

Business update

5,500 York businesses have now benefitted from over £100m of grants and relief as City of York Council continues to support businesses during the Coronavirus outbreak. A specialist team have worked round the clock to ensure businesses get the government grants and business rates relief as quickly as possible, whilst carrying out rigorous checks to make sure that fraudsters cannot take advantage of the situation.

The £100m is made up of two main funding sources, business rates relief which accounts for £66m and a further £34m in business grants paid out to over 2500 accounts. We are working through the remaining payments as quickly as possible.

Community support- food update

A city-wide operation encompassing York’s foodbank, the Council’s community hubs, community meal providers and local food businesses are helping ensure people get the food they need.

To service the council’s community hubs with food, the Council has created a central depot with volunteer drivers and vehicles to transport goods to the hubs. There, food boxes are put together and delivered to people identified through the Council’s dedicated support line.

From making phone calls to thousands of residents, the volunteers in the hubs are building a picture of the amount of food needed and how urgently, meeting special dietary needs and adding to the Government-supplied food.

The council’s support line is also helping people who can afford to buy their shopping but can’t get a delivery slot, or who people who can’t order online.

An interim list of businesses offering doorstep deliveries has been published.

It can be downloaded from this link https://www.dropbox.com/s/pjyqazimgft8cbk/Coronavirus%20Food%20Leaflet%2017%20April.pdf?dl=0

NHS services

Colleagues at the Vale of York CCG have issued an important message reminding patients that the NHS is still available for non Covid-19 related illnesses amid concerns patients may be putting off using NHS services for illnesses not related to coronavirus (Covid-19).

GP services, pharmacies, NHS 111, out-of-hours services and emergency departments are all still available to patients should they be needed.

For more information please see their press release https://www.valeofyorkccg.nhs.uk/ccg-reminds-patients-that-the-nhs-is-still-available-for-non-covid-19-related-illnesses/

Leaflets

The Council says that in the coming days and weeks residents will be getting information delivered to them:

A leaflet promoting how to be a volunteer and what to do if you need help together with a leaflet promoting health information with a letter thanking the city for its resolve and containing important health information for people to keep is currently being delivered

A special copy of Our City magazine, bringing together information about resident support and council services in one place will be delivered w/c 20 April

A leaflet sharing the names and contact details of local independent food suppliers who can deliver or arrange collection

A booklet providing more information to support your wellbeing over this extended lockdown.

Coronavirus York updates: 17th April 2020

Coronavirus cases up in York

EIGHT more patients with coronavirus have died at York NHS trust hospitals. NHS England said a total of 65 patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 had now died at York Hospital and Scarborough Hospital, which are both run by York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Latest figures from Public Health England show there were 160 confirmed coronavirus cases in the City of York Council area today, compared with 153 yesterday.

Over £100m paid out to businesses in response to Coronavirus

A York Council media release claims that “5,500 York businesses have now benefited from over £100m of grants and relief as part of City of York Council’s efforts to support businesses and protect jobs during the Coronavrirus outbreak”.

The media release pointedly doesn’t reveal how many claims are outstanding, how many have been rejected or how long processing is taking.

The Council says that “a specialist team have worked round the clock to ensure businesses get the government grants and business rates relief as quickly as possible, whilst carrying out rigorous checks to make sure that fraudsters cannot take advantage of the situation.

The £100m is made up of two main funding sources, business rates relief which accounts for £66m and a further £34m in business grants, paid out to over 2500 accounts”.

Since opening applications for the grants the council says it has received over 3500 applications and has been working to speed up a process which includes government-defined requirements to:

collect company information including VAT registration details
clear every application through the government’s anti-fraud systems
verify bank details and company identity

The council is working through the remaining payments as fast as possible. This includes carrying out anti-fraud checks for companies which have never had a financial relationship with the council before, and those where clarity is required over who is liable for business rates – and therefore the grant – at the property.

The council is reminding businesses that it may contact them by phone, and to follow this advice to speed up the process and guard against fraud.

We may contact you by phone. Make sure you have your unique application form reference number – which you received after you applied for the grant – and your business rates account number to hand. We may also use part of your bank details to verify your identity. Only the council and the correct applicant will know these details.
The council will never ask you for a payment. If you are at all suspicious, hang up the phone and contact the public protection team straight away, by email protection@york.gov.ukor 01904 551525.
Please don’t contact the council just to check on the timing of your payment as this will only slow payments down, and please do not reply to this email as we will not be able to respond.

Any business which believes it is eligible for the government grants but is yet to apply should do so immediately at www.york.gov.uk/COVIDBusinessGrant

We’re contacting all businesses in these cases to try and resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
Urge any business that hasn’t applied to get in touch. We will chase all those we believe are eligible soon.

Leader of City of York Council, Cllr Keith Aspden, said:

“We have listened to businesses and recognised that processing these payments as quickly as possible was vital to ensuring the long-term resilience of businesses and York’s economy. That is why council officers have been working round the clock to progress these payments, whilst ensuring all the required checks are met.”

“I hope that the support provided by the Council will help local businesses during this difficult period and continue to support York’s vibrant local economy. I would also like to thank officers for their hard work and dedication to get these payments to businesses as quick as they have.”

“For businesses who do not meet the requirements for the Government’s businesses grants, we have created a local emergency fund totaling £1 million to support the city’s small and micro businesses, and I would urge any businesses who hasn’t already done so, to get in touch with the Council and see what support is on offer to them.”

Councillor Andrew Waller, executive member for the Economy and Strategic Planning, said:

“It was clear to us just how important it was to get the grant payments to all these businesses as quick as possible. They form an integral part of York’s economy, bringing in £2bn annually and supporting thousands of jobs.

We’re also providing a range of support, advice and guidance for businesses, including free advertising across our local media for any businesses still operating.”

Shopping

It’s still peak food shopping day for some people so supermarkets may be busy. Generally supermarkets are returning to their “normal” hours to ease queue lengths. Relatively few shortages with maximum purchase limits also being eased.

ASDA are now saying that their hours will be 8:00am – 10:00pm Mon – Sat (Sun 10:00am – 4:00pm)

ALDI now have the same opening hours (8:00am – 10:00pm). Queue priority given to emergency and NHS workers.

Lidl (Hours same).

Waitrose About as much chance of getting a delivery slot as winning the Euro Millions lottery. (Good luck with tonight’s draw)

All stores have now confirmed what the @FoxwoodRA queue monitoring web site had already concluded. They are least busy (normally) after 2:00pm with very few queues in the late evening

A new app has been launched which aims to tell potential shoppers how busy local stores are in “real time”. It seems to depend on users reporting what they find on their shopping trip -so a bit limited in York at the moment. Still it might take off. https://crowdlessapp.co/. Download from the App store (Crowdless)

Community hubs

Sources within the Council say that the support Hubs that they set up are “very quiet”. They have adequate numbers of volunteers to deal with current demand levels.

Officially the Council briefs that, “Almost 3,300 volunteers are signed up to the council’s scheme help the most vulnerable and all are offered safeguarding training and information governance training to protect people’s personal information. Among the volunteers deployed, 50 are working alongside the city’s Local Area Co-ordinators and nearly 140 are working out of the community hubs

Thousands of welfare calls have been made to vulnerable or medically shielded residents by the council’s volunteering network, in addition to the contacts being made by York CVS, Age UK and other partners. As well as checking on their immediate wellbeing, these calls mean vulnerable people have someone to speak to and also can get the latest information about the support available to thm and how they can access it should they need it.

Some volunteers are registered with or assigned to work with partners like Move the Masses, GoodGym or York Neighbours. The volunteers are asked to carry out a wide range of tasks, the majority are for shopping or collecting prescriptions”.

Adult social care

A Council briefing says, “In response to these unprecedented times, and in line with Government guidance, our priorities in adult social care during COVID-19 are to:

work with the NHS to ensure people are discharged from hospital and supported in the community with appropriate health and social care

safeguard and protect those adults considered most at risk in our city

respond to urgent and immediate care and support requirements

work with our local care homes and care providers to support clinically vulnerable communities

support our local carers who are looking after clinically vulnerable people

signpost people to government guidance on shielding ‘extremely vulnerable’ people

Advice for parents

Today’s e-newsletter for families includes an important message:

Coping with a crying baby can be difficult at any time, but particularly challenging at the moment, when stress levels at home may be increased. ICON is a programme which can help you or your partner to cope with infant crying:

I – Infant crying is normal
C – comforting methods can help
O – It’s ok to walk away
N – never, ever shake a baby

Download the ICON leaflet for parents and carers here: http://iconcope.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CS49907-NYY-ICON-LEAFLET-NEW.pdf

Speak to someone if you need support, such as your friends, Midwife, GP or health visitor. For more information visit http://www.iconcope.org/

To get in touch with our Health Visitor Teams please call
01904 555475 (Monday to Friday 08:30-17:00) or email HCS-Secure@york.gov.uk

Coronavirus York updates – 13th April 2020

On line trader site launched by NYCC

The North Yorkshire County Council has launched an on line database of trades and services currently available. https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/buy-local

It is over 3 weeks since the York Council was asked to do the same thing- initially concentrating on those local food and pharmacy businesses offering remote ordering and doorstep deliveries. Still waiting!

Coronavirus cases and deaths in York

TWO more patients with coronavirus have died at hospitals run by the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, taking the total number of Covid-19 deaths in the trust’s two hospitals -York and Scarborough – to 42.

THE number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has risen again slightly in York, to 127 today from 125 yesterday, while numbers in the North Yorkshire County Council area rose from 436 yesterday to 456 today.

Supermarket queues

Much quieter today. Few queues at any of the supermarkets in west York at lunchtime. Updates here https://www.facebook.com/FoxwoodResidentsAssociation/

Land army

Many local farmers are using the good weather to catch up. Field unrecognisable from the picture following the flooding earlier in the year

Litter

Unfortunately some people are still leaving litter (mainly tin cans). This is noticeable on leisure/exercise routes like the York – Selby cycle track. The Council is not currently emptying litter bins and frankly volunteers have better things to do. Hopefully people will take their litter home with them.

Not just highways and footpaths which are uneven. Cycle paths also suffer (in this case from the roots of poorly positioned trees). There will be a lot of basic maintenance work to do, on the whole of York’s transport network, when normality returns.

Nice touch from Acorn Rugby