Category Archives: Covid19

- Cycles and Cycling, Care homes, Council reports, Council spending, Covid19, Pedestrians and Walkers, School Transport, Social care, Suffolk County Council, Your councillor

Latest County and Town News May 2020

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Walking and cycling are now the recommended forms of transport

COVID-19 Update

Latest Government advice is available here: www.gov.uk/coronavirus 

Latest SCC information is available here: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/

News is changing daily. I also put  information on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/Caroline.Page.Woodbridge/
https://www.facebook.com/CllrCarolinePage/
https://www.twitter.com/Cropage/

Virtual SCC meetings   SCC is now holding some meetings virtually – including school transport panel appeals. Public meetings, or public sections of meetings  can still be attended by members of the public. The link to the virtual meeting will be included on the agenda for the meeting. I have already sat on one  virtual  appeal panel.

If meetings are cancelled, the Chief Executive uses her emergency powers to make any necessary decisions on behalf of the Cabinet/Council through the delegated decision-making process. Details of any decisions made will be published on the SCC website.

Supply of PPE   In light of increasing concerns about care home transmission/ infection, it is worth noting that SCC  is supplying emergency PPE to primary care and other service providers who are unable or struggling to source their own supplies. This includes:

  • Adult residential and domiciliary care: care homes, personal assistants or homecare
  • Children’s Homes
  • GP surgeries
  • Secure Children’s Homes
  • Residential Special Schools
  • Court
  • Funeral Services
  • Local Authority: childrens social care, adult social care or healthy child services
  • Mental Health community/adult social workers
  • Hospices and Palliative Care
  • Primary Care
  • Pharmacists
  • Emergency Dentists

I have been assured by the director of Adult and Community Services that where taxi drivers are undertaking hospital transfers, they can also apply for PPE from the above source.

More information on how to make an order, is available at: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/suffolks-response/personal-protective-equipment-for-frontline-workers/       Questions about ordering PPE should be sent to PPE@suffolk.gov.uk

Donation of EU-compliant masks to Woodbridge from Xi’anGift of PPE from Xi’an, China
I was able to hand a gift of EU-compliant medical masks to Deben View as a gift from concerned friends in China.

Covid Funding  from Government  Suffolk County Council has received £34.7m from the government to help with the council’s coronavirus response.

However, the council is currently forecasting that the financial impact of the crisis will be at least £56m (due to both extra expenditure and lost income) by the end of March 2021, and so more support from the government will be needed.

Finally, my group is having regular q&a sessions with the heads of highways, children’s services, adult services and public health. If you have anything you want to ask, I am happy to pass on your questions and ensure they get answered.

Street closures to protect walkers/cyclists exercising outdoors My LDGI group are encouraging Suffolk County Council to close roads that are used by residents to get their daily exercise, to ensure that walkers/cyclists can exercise safely and maintain social distancing.

The county council have indicated that they are willing to consider these closures and have already closed Ipswich Waterfront to through-traffic for 3 weeks.

If you have suggestions for roads that could benefit from a temporary closure, please let me know and I will pass it on to the Cabinet Member, along with suggestions for measures to encourage cycling and walking , especially as the Government has just announced  emergency  funding for this.

I have also raised my concerns about residents unilaterally deciding to block public Rights of Way, citing Covid as an excuse. At Martlesham Creek, the residents alongside PROW13 have coned off the Right of Way and are denying walkers access, because they are ‘self-isolating.’

Public rights of way are paths which the public have a legal protected right to use, and the County Council a legal duty to protect. They provide a healthy, safe and sustainable way to access the countryside and other local services. I have reported this to the County Council  as one of several local attempts to prevent local walkers from enjoying legitimate and government sanctioned exercise.

Review of Suffolk ‘s County Council boundaries  delayed The Boundary Commission has announced that it will be delaying its review of Suffolk County Council’s electoral arrangements and division boundaries. The Commission was due to publish its draft recommendations and consult on them in May-July 2020, with the intention of implementing the new electoral arrangements (including , we believe, a reduction in councillor numbers) at the 2021 local elections.

Given the delay to the consultation on draft recommendations, the new arrangements will now not be implemented until  the 2025 elections. Given the situation we are currently in – and the uncertainty as to how or when it will end –  to consider any current reduction in local representation would seem  a very poor idea).

 

Cost of post-16 Home to School transport increases by £90   Plans to increase the price of post-16 school transport were approved by the Chief Executive using delegated decision-making powers, because the Cabinet was unable to meet.

The price of mainstream post-16 school transport has been increased by £90, whilst the price of post-16 transport for SEND students has increased by £30. This is despite the fact that a consultation on the proposed increase indicated that 75% of parents who responded felt that the increase would have an adverse impact on them.

Essentially, this is despite the fact that there is now a de facto SSLA (statutory school leaving age) of 18 as the law now requires all young people in England to continue in education or training until at least their 18th birthday. This places a particularly unfair financial burden on low-income families, most particularly in rural areas.

County claims that if families are concerned about their ability to pay for school transport, they can apply for the 16-19 Bursary Fund which is managed by post-16 provisions and may be able to support eligible disadvantaged young people by up to £1,200.. It is a limited budgett.

Increase in social worker pay   Suffolk County Council has (finally) agreed to increase the pay of children’s social workers to match the remuneration offered by neighbouring councils, in order to attract and retain skilled social workers in Suffolk. It is estimated that this pay increase will cost £1.4m and will be funded from council reserves.  I am pleased that the council has taken this step, because my group proposed this exact policy as part of our budget amendment in February.

 

Council reports, Covid19

Latest county and town news, Woodbridge, April 2020

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COVID-19 Update

– Stay Home – Protect the NHS – Save Lives

Latest Government advice: www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Latest Suffolk County Council information: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/

Woodbridge Emergency Response Group Woodbridge has set up and is running an efficient and effective volunteer and help group with an amazing community response. We have roughly 700 clients and volunteers at the moment. Remember, people can ring to register either to volunteer or to help on 01394 383599 (answered 9-6 daily, with an overnight answerphone), or email emergency@woodbridge-suffolk.gov.uk. 

Additionally, a Suffolkwide app and phoneline has been launched . For residents outside the Woodbridge area Suffolk has launched Home But Not Alone, a scheme intended to connect volunteers and vulnerable people via free app, called Tribe Volunteer, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. (Please note for ID purposes, the icon is a square with tribe across it, and two yellow-brown curves below it) If you are in Suffolk but outside the greater Woodbridge area you should phone. The telephone number for those in need of help is the same as for volunteering: freephone 0800 876 6926. The intention is that it will be staffed from 09:00 to 17:00, seven days a week. The service will mean willing volunteers, charities, town and parish councils, community and religious groups can all log their details and offers of support on an app, while people who need help can phone to request support. 

School closures and free school meals More information about school closures in Suffolk is available here: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/schools-guidance/

A Voucher scheme has been launched for schools providing free school meals – Families are being offered weekly shopping vouchers worth £15 to spend at supermarkets while schools are closed due to coronavirus. The government has also confirmed that the total value of vouchers offered to each eligible child per week will exceed the rate it pays to schools for free school meals, recognising that families will not be buying food in bulk and may therefore incur higher costs.

Effective immediately, schools will be able to order vouchers directly from supermarkets or shops in their communities to be emailed or printed and posted to families; they will have their costs covered by the Department for Education.

Bus passes can now be used before 9:30 Suffolk County Council is allowing concessionary travel for those with elderly and disabled bus passes before 9.30am. This is to allow these residents to access the exclusive early morning shopping times that supermarkets have arranged for these people. Of course, only helpful when those early morning timings match up with actual bus availability.

Public transport services reduced New timetables are now in place for most public transport services, including buses, trains and community transport until further notice. Suffolk County Council is advising those who ned to use public transport to check with their local provider to find out the latest timetable.

Further details can be found at www.suffolkonboard.com or by calling 0345 606 6171.

Funding available for food banks Suffolk County Council has made £60,000 available to support food banks in Suffolk

– Stay Home – Protect the NHS – Save Lives –

Other news
Suffolk County Council submits bid for Government funding for buses Suffolk County Council has submitted a statement of intent to the Department of Transport (DfT) for £580k to improve some of the county’s bus services.

The council has not yet released details of how they plan to spend this funding. However, we understand that they are not intending to use it to reinstate the subsidised bus services which were cut last summer.

The DfT planned to announce which statements of intent have been successful by the end of April, but it is likely that this will be delayed given the current situation.

EDF Energy delay application for Sizewell C Development Consent Order EDF Energy have decided to delay their application for a Development Consent Order for Sizewell C by a few weeks, due to the current situation.

In March, my LibDem Green and Independent group were planning to submit a motion asking Suffolk County Council to withdraw support for nuclear power and publicly oppose Sizewell C. However, the Council meeting in March was cancelled. This means that our motion has also been delayed, but we plan to submit it again at the earliest opportunity once meetings at the council start up again. We are concerned however that an application may yet be put in before this time.

Opt-in for 2020/21 free school transport Parents are now able to opt-in if eligible for free transport for the 2020/21 school year. This will be the second year of the new school transport policy. The deadline for opting-in is 31 May 2020.

If parents have a child who is already receiving SCC funded school travel, they must opt-in again to continue to receive it.

Parents whose child is not eligible for SCC funded school travel but who wish to purchase a spare seat, may do so. The application for spare seats opens on 1 July 2020.

To opt-in or for more information on the SCC school travel policy please visit; https://www.suffolkonboard.com/schooltravel/

SCC wins DfT funding for next stage of A12 works Suffolk County Council won £830,000 of funding from the Department for Transport, to develop an Outline Business Case to take forward its plans to improve the A12 East of Ipswich. Obviously this is of interest to us in Woodbridge.

This project is specifically looking to increase capacity and improve overall traffic flow at junctions and will explore the potential for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the A12.

Corvid19, Covid19, Helping the community, Volunteers, Woodbridge, Woodbridge Town Council

Woodbridge: Covid19 Support

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While the coronavirus pandemic continues, please stay at home, and protect yourself, your community and the NHS. It’s a no brainer.

In Woodbridge, the Emergency Response Group  01394 383599 or email emergency@woodbridge-suffolk.gov.uk  – as well as many local businesses  -can support you to stay at home.

You can ring the WERG number for assistance, or to volunteer.

Woodbridge Emergency Volunteer vest

Please note,  the Woodbridge Emergency Response Group are volunteers, they do not charge for their help,  and they generally can be recognised by these vests

Unfortunately, while a crisis can bring out the best in most people, it does bring a few snakes out of the long grass.

Suffolk Trading Standards is warning you to beware of these coronavirus scams below. (In addition, whether you are a person or a busines,  take no notice of  texts  or phone calls directly offering you government or NHS money. These are scams too.)